Too many elephants in Kruger Park?

The Parks Board (SANPARK) has submitted an Elephant Management report to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, which includes the option of culling 1000's of elephants over a period of five years [numbers not confirmed]. From a census, it is estimated that close to 12 500 elelphants live in the Kruger National Park.

Culling was used to maintain the elephant population within the "carrying capacity" of the national park [approximately 7 500 elephants] until 1995, when it was stopped due to national and international opposition. “I would rather not do culling, and this is the view of the government as well. But there comes a time when not doing anything is not good enough,” said van Schalkwyk.

The report also says that culling is needed to conserve biological diversity in protected areas and to support sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of communities, such as processing carcasses, canning plants and butcheries, and in carving tusks and bones, elephant hair products and other by-products.

Michelle Henley from the Associated Private Nature Reserves recently told the international NGO called Save the Elephants, “While the concept of a static carrying capacity within a dynamic environment has no scientific basis, the idea that Kruger can only support a population of 7 000 elephants has nevertheless become deeply entrenched within the minds of the general public.”

Report to the Minister: Environmental Affairs and Tourism on developing Elephant Management Plans for National Parks with recommendations on the process to be followed. Download the report in MS Word or Adobe PDF format.