Scientists defend elephant culling and contraception plans amid MP pushback
MPs also challenged the inclusion of trophy hunting as a possible intervention.
Scientists and conservationists were recently called to account by a parliamentary committee regarding proposals to cull and employ contraception on elephants within the Madikwe and Pilanesberg game reserves. The committee questioned why non-lethal contraceptive measures had remained unutilized for numerous years, while the scientists defended the rationale behind a blended management strategy comprising culling, contraceptive administration, and elephant translocation.
Professor Sam Ferreira, a large-mammal specialist at SanParks, explained that the team had evaluated 34 management scenarios across the two reserves before proposing the aforementioned mixed approach. The primary concern, according to Ferreira, was not merely the elephant population size, but rather the creatures' impact on vegetation, water resources, and other species.
He emphasized that the approach aimed to manage these impacts, not just the elephant numbers, by inducing movement patterns and enhancing water accessibility. Ferreira also pointed out that scenarios relying solely on contraception had produced a paradox, as herds rapidly declined, but vegetation pressure recovered over time. Consequently, the task team recommended merging fertility control with limited removals, rather than relying on either method alone.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Andrew Dirk de Blocq van Scheltinga raised concerns, asserting that the task team's report erroneously treated non-lethal contraception on par with lethal culling. He questioned why contraception, provided for free for years, had never been implemented, implying that it could have averted the need for lethal management. Ferreira clarified that both interventions were subjected to similar caution due to the uncertainty surrounding their long-term biological effects.
John Power, a task team member responsible for practical management, acknowledged that the delay in initiating contraception could not be scientifically justified, conceding that the department had missed an opportunity. Minister Balocq of the North West Parks and Tourism Board addressed the inclusion of trophy hunting in the management plan, emphasizing that it was not an initial population management strategy, but rather an economic opportunity.
The North West Parks board chairperson, Khorommbi Matibe, affirmed that decisions on managing the elephant population would be guided by scientific evidence rather than emotions, stating that there was no singular solution to the issue.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
