Lions culled at South African park
By Stephen Bevan in Pretoria
(Filed: 18/12/2005)

South Africa's game reserves have secretly started culling lions in an attempt to tackle what they claim is a growing population crisis, the Sunday Telegraph has discovered.



One of the largest private reserves in the country, Welgevonden in Limpopo province, which covers more than 130 square miles, has confirmed that it has destroyed five lions - a lioness and its four young.

Two other reserves - Entabeni, also in Limpopo and Phinda in KwaZulu-Natal - said they will be forced to cull if they cannot sell surplus animals. Madikwe in North West Province confirmed it is an option they will have to consider

The reserves say they have no choice but to kill healthy animals as numbers have grown beyond their capacity - and they cannot sell them because there are too many on the market.

Wildlife campaigners have reacted with dismay. Will Travers, the director of the Born Free Foundation said he was "deeply saddened" and blamed earlier misjudgments.

"As always in these situations the animals come off worse," he said. "Across Africa as a whole, it is estimated that the lion population has fallen from around 100,000 animals 20 years ago to between 20,000 and 30,000 animals now. So what is happening in South Africa is atypical. Establishing small private reserves is almost certainly unsustainable for any kind of naturally balanced lion population."

In their natural state, numbers are kept down by the arrival of a new dominant male from outside, which asserts itself by killing the pride leader and all of its offspring.

The cull revelation comes as the South African government is considering a proposal to reverse an 11-year ban on the culling of elephants after claims that overpopulation in the Kruger national park is damaging the environment.

Andrew Parker, the chief executive at Welgevonden, said the five lions had been destroyed humanely under the supervision of the South African National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"Our game numbers have been declining rapidly, whereas the predator numbers have been increasing in almost inverse proportion. For the last year we've been looking to find alternative homes for the lions. We're not trying to make money out of it, we're giving the lions away."

He said culling had been suspended while possible buyers were considered, but added: "We can't let it drag on for ever."

The reserves are using implanted contraceptives in lionesses to control numbers, but say that this is not totally effective.

Hunting is a possible solution for Jan Lessing, the manager at the 10,000-acre Entabeni reserve. "The first option is to try to sell them," he said. "If we don't get anybody interested, the second option is to see if we can hunt them. If we don't get permission for that, we'll have to cull them."

Trophy hunters will pay up to 50,000 rand (£4,500) to shoot a lion, more than 10 times the price it would fetch if sold.

I hunted Madikwe in '98 and '99 and saw alot of lions there. Anyone know who has the hunting consession there now?

Pretty typical. People trying to manage nature. I'm not sure how we ever survived being as stupid as we are.

Yeah,
We've barely managed 4,000,000 years since "Lucy" first did her hominid thing in the Oldavi Gorge.
South Africa has a surplus of lions, Mumbai has a surplus of people, hmmmmm. Oh, sorry, yes Calcutta would be better I suppose.
LD

As with the Elephant problem of over population in the Kruger Nat Park, we have two solutions. Either cull the Elephants and Lions who were here first or the humans who have taken over their environment. At least because of hunting there are still Lions left in South Africa.