So, from Pieter Kat's perspective, it's better to let the hippo die and rot than to feed thousands of local, protein starved villagers. Kat's attitude reminds me of a quote attributed to a French elitist back in the late 1700's "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" or "Let them eat cake".

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Mirror (written by Martin Bagot and published on September 13, 2016)

Game park to cull and eat 750 hippos after two-year drought sparking animal rights fury

Kruger National Park aims to target hippos and buffaloes it claims will die in the dry conditions


The largest game park in South Africa is to cull its hippos, blaming a two-year drought.

Kruger National Park aims to target hippos and buffaloes it claims will die in the dry conditions.

Campaigners say letting hired hunters slaughter up to 4,700 buffaloes and 750 hippos will harm an endangered species.

In 2006 the hippo was identified as vulnerable, with an estimated population of 125,000 to 150,000.

The dwindling water means hippos gather in ponds making them easy prey for marksmen.

Park bosses say the animals’ meat would feed surrounding villagers whose crops have been ruined by the conditions.

General manager Navashni Govender said both species are drought sensitive and in similar dry spells their numbers in the Kruger have fallen up to 50%.

She said: “The purist way of allowing natural attrition to take its course is not always ecologically the best.

"Moral issues, such as allowing animals to die and rot in the face of a huge protein need in communities bordering the park have to be considered.”

The South African Weather Service predicts no rain in the coming months.

Kruger National Park says it has more herbivores than ever before, with about 20,000 elephants, 47,000 buffaloes and 7,500 hippos.

Ms Govender said: “Predators thrive in a drought. Elephants and browsers such as kudu and giraffe also do better. It’s the grass-eating animals and buffaloes that suffer the most.”

Conservation charity LionAid’s Dr Pieter Kat said the Kruger must change its national park status if it intends to be a “soup kitchen”, proving meat, instead of keeping wild animals in a natural habitat with the natural fluctuations in populations.
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