Comments on: To Cull or Not: The Return of the Elephant Man http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/ News & commentary on sustainability, activism, urban planning, politics, and our world. Wed, 23 May 2012 06:36:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: China Wins UN Approval for Bagging Africa’s Ivory, and Attempts to Gag Activists’ Furore : EcoWorldly http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/comment-page-1/#comment-55615 China Wins UN Approval for Bagging Africa’s Ivory, and Attempts to Gag Activists’ Furore : EcoWorldly Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:22:29 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/#comment-55615 [...] Africa only recently lifted a moratorium on elephant culling after a 13-year ban saw a sharp rise in population numbers. But the real losers are Africa’s [...] [...] Africa only recently lifted a moratorium on elephant culling after a 13-year ban saw a sharp rise in population numbers. But the real losers are Africa’s [...]

]]> By: 10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week : EcoWorldly http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/comment-page-1/#comment-55614 10 Top Environmental Headlines of the Week : EcoWorldly Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:50:40 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/#comment-55614 [...] other species and the livelihoods and safety of people living within elephant ranges.” Read more: EcoWorldly, [...] [...] other species and the livelihoods and safety of people living within elephant ranges.” Read more: EcoWorldly, [...]

]]> By: Rox Brummer http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/comment-page-1/#comment-55613 Rox Brummer Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:46:15 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/#comment-55613 Good question. I am not a vet, so I cannot say for sure, but it may be possible. The problem I could see arising is with the logistics of euthanasing a whole herd. When you dart an elephant it takes a good few minutes to go down, and as soon as you start darting the rest of the herd would be scared away. To dart and therefore euthanise a whole breeding herd would probably take a fleet of choppers with vets in to finish the herd quickly, which would also be extremely stressful. My feeling, and I am prepared to be proven wrong as I am a carnivore biologist, not an elephant expert, is that it would be logistically too difficult to do quickly enough to remove the stress factor. I think this may be one of the situations which is more comfortable for us but translates to little difference in the field. As I said though, I am neither a vet nor an ellie expert, and would love to hear the opinion of someone more informed than I am. Good question. I am not a vet, so I cannot say for sure, but it may be possible. The problem I could see arising is with the logistics of euthanasing a whole herd. When you dart an elephant it takes a good few minutes to go down, and as soon as you start darting the rest of the herd would be scared away. To dart and therefore euthanise a whole breeding herd would probably take a fleet of choppers with vets in to finish the herd quickly, which would also be extremely stressful. My feeling, and I am prepared to be proven wrong as I am a carnivore biologist, not an elephant expert, is that it would be logistically too difficult to do quickly enough to remove the stress factor. I think this may be one of the situations which is more comfortable for us but translates to little difference in the field. As I said though, I am neither a vet nor an ellie expert, and would love to hear the opinion of someone more informed than I am.

]]> By: Angela K. Bridgewater http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/comment-page-1/#comment-55611 Angela K. Bridgewater Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:17:20 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/#comment-55611 I am one of the people who is very against the culling. I have an open mind though and I do read the comments by the experts. I am not an expert, but when I saw a culling video, it ripped my heart out. Here is one thought that I would like to put forth. Rather than shooting the elephants and scaring them-a very traumatic death, would a humane euthanasia be possible? Let them go to sleep? I am one of the people who is very against the culling.

I have an open mind though and I do read the comments by the experts. I am not an expert, but when I saw a culling video, it ripped my heart out.

Here is one thought that I would like to put forth.
Rather than shooting the elephants and scaring them-a very traumatic death, would a humane euthanasia be possible? Let them go to sleep?

]]> By: Rox Brummer http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/comment-page-1/#comment-55612 Rox Brummer Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:09:00 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/19/to-cull-or-not-the-return-of-the-elephant-man/#comment-55612 As a conservationist working in South Africa, I feel urged to point out that there has been a great deal of debate within the country on ALL the available options, and that culling is not just seen as a quick fix solution. I see many comments about translocation of ellies to places as far away as Kenya, or contraception, and would like to point out that all of these HAVE been considered. The reality is that there is no "ideal" solution. Contracepting is slow and also potentially very disruptive. There is a theory that by performing a vascectomy on the dominant male, who fathers up to 80% of the calves in a populaiton, the population growth can be slowed. Unless we reject the very concept of evolution, we must remember that there is a reason why he fathers so many. To mess with that may well lead to genetic degradation over the long term. The reality is we just dont know, but it is plausible to raise it. Translocation of ellies to areas far outside their range is not feasible due to thier reliance on local knowledge passed down through generations and, more importantly, due to the fact that geographically distant populations may well be genetically different in ways we are not yet aware of. There are potentially very large threats involved with some of the softer options that may seem to be kinder, but are potentially catastrophic from a broader conservation view. Conservation is about habitats, genetics, whole ecosystems, not just about individuals. No-one likes the idea of culling, and there is a huge amount of work being done on expanding conservation areas, but it is not enough and not soon enough. The problem of lack of suitable habitat is one that faces many species, not just elephants, and wonderful work is being done to address this, but there is actually a degree of urgency on the elephant matter now. Who is to say the elephants are more important than the species further down the web that suffer as a result of overpopulation? The ancient Baobabs, Mashatu trees and Leadwoods along the Limpopo, for example, will take much longer to regenerate than the elephant population that is currently destroying them. What about all the less charismatic species that rely on them? Ecosystem functioning requires focus on more than just one species, and a healthy system benefits all its inhabitants. Even if you are only interested in the ellies and not their habitat, think about which is more horrific; the lights going out or starving to death slowly? It is easy to sit in a faraway place at a desk and say how dreadful culling is, but at grass roots level it is a different story. When you have seen carcasses of animals that have died of starvation due to unnaturally stressed habitats, then it becomes a differnt story. Yes, the reason they are stressed is human fault, but it is also then up to us take action to remedy it, even if the plan of action does include some elements that are less comfortable. As a conservationist working in South Africa, I feel urged to point out that there has been a great deal of debate within the country on ALL the available options, and that culling is not just seen as a quick fix solution. I see many comments about translocation of ellies to places as far away as Kenya, or contraception, and would like to point out that all of these HAVE been considered. The reality is that there is no “ideal” solution. Contracepting is slow and also potentially very disruptive. There is a theory that by performing a vascectomy on the dominant male, who fathers up to 80% of the calves in a populaiton, the population growth can be slowed. Unless we reject the very concept of evolution, we must remember that there is a reason why he fathers so many. To mess with that may well lead to genetic degradation over the long term. The reality is we just dont know, but it is plausible to raise it.
Translocation of ellies to areas far outside their range is not feasible due to thier reliance on local knowledge passed down through generations and, more importantly, due to the fact that geographically distant populations may well be genetically different in ways we are not yet aware of. There are potentially very large threats involved with some of the softer options that may seem to be kinder, but are potentially catastrophic from a broader conservation view. Conservation is about habitats, genetics, whole ecosystems, not just about individuals. No-one likes the idea of culling, and there is a huge amount of work being done on expanding conservation areas, but it is not enough and not soon enough. The problem of lack of suitable habitat is one that faces many species, not just elephants, and wonderful work is being done to address this, but there is actually a degree of urgency on the elephant matter now. Who is to say the elephants are more important than the species further down the web that suffer as a result of overpopulation? The ancient Baobabs, Mashatu trees and Leadwoods along the Limpopo, for example, will take much longer to regenerate than the elephant population that is currently destroying them. What about all the less charismatic species that rely on them? Ecosystem functioning requires focus on more than just one species, and a healthy system benefits all its inhabitants. Even if you are only interested in the ellies and not their habitat, think about which is more horrific; the lights going out or starving to death slowly?
It is easy to sit in a faraway place at a desk and say how dreadful culling is, but at grass roots level it is a different story. When you have seen carcasses of animals that have died of starvation due to unnaturally stressed habitats, then it becomes a differnt story. Yes, the reason they are stressed is human fault, but it is also then up to us take action to remedy it, even if the plan of action does include some elements that are less comfortable.

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