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South African minister seeks to slow elephant population growth

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published March 1, 2007

ADDO ELEPHANT PARK, South Africa - The environment minister proposed a package of measures Wednesday to slow rampant elephant population growth - including limited killing and contraception - but stressed there would be no mass slaughter.

The elephant population of 20,000 is growing at a rate of more than 6 percent per year, disrupting the delicate biodiversity in the flagship Kruger National Park and other wildlife parks, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said.

He said the government proposed introducing new management measures, including removal of elephants to other areas, creation of special enclosures to protect other species, expansion of parks, contraception and culling.

"I would have preferred not to consider the options of both culling and contraception," he said, but added that the reality left him with no choice. He said slaughter would only be considered as a last resort.

Environmental groups and other parties have until May 4 to comment on the proposals, and even after that it may take many more months to bring the measures into force.

South Africa has been hugely successful in managing its elephant populations, once on the verge of extinction. But herds in Kruger Park, and also smaller parks such as Addo, are expected to double by 2020.

The country destroyed 14,562 elephants between 1967 and 1994. Without that cull, the population would have rocketed by now to 80,000, the park estimates. The population is expected to reach 34,000 by 2020 if it is not curbed.

Botswana has by far the biggest population, with an estimated 165,000 elephants, van Schalkwyk said. He said Zimbabwe was host to an estimated 80,000 and Mozambique some 20,000.

A single elephant devours up to 660 pounds of grass, leaves and twigs a day. And they are messy eaters - 60 percent gets wasted.

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 01:20:19]