March 17, 2008

Elephant Regulations Overshadowed by Possibility of a Cull

Immunocontraception and other non-lethal measures have yet to be pursued in South Africa.

Humane Society International

By Natalie Ragan

South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced on February 28th that the country's new elephant management regulations will ban the capture of elephants for commercial exhibition facilities, prohibit the import and export of captive elephants, and prevent intensive breeding of captive elephants. While HSI applauds these new regulations, they are overshadowed by another part of the Minister's announcement in which he listed culling as the option of last resort for controlling elephant populations (behind the use of range manipulation, translocation, introduction of elephants, and contraception).

The inclusion of culling on the list of possible measures is leaving elephant lovers worldwide on the edges of their seats.

Drastic improvement from the past

South Africa's attitude towards captive elephants is refreshing in contrast with a notorious episode in July 1998, when 30 elephant calves were taken from their mothers in Botswana and exported to South Africa. There, they were brutally beaten and deprived of food and water to prepare them for lives in zoos. The dealer was eventually convicted of violating South Africa's Animal Protection Act and the elephants were finally released. Fourteen of them made it to freedom in Marakele National Park in South Africa, nine went to a private game park in South Africa, and seven went to zoos in Germany and Switzerland. This year's new regulations show that South Africa has washed its hands of this cruel business and is demonstrating leadership on this matter which will hopefully serve as an example to other countries.

Immunocontraception solution

While pleased that South Africa has finally put an end to its role in the brutal live elephant trade, Humane Society International (HSI) and The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS) are deeply concerned that the government is allowing for the possibility of culling. HSI/The HSUS helped successfully push for an adoption of a moratorium on culling in the mid-1990s. For the past 12 years, HSI/The HSUS have been studying the use of immunocontraception (a birth control method that uses the body's immune response to prevent pregnancy) in elephants in South Africa. The results of these studies have been excellent: 100 percent birth control has been achieved, with no other side effects. However, this and other non-lethal measures have yet to be aggressively pursued and applied by the government of South Africa. HSI/The HSUS have called upon the government of South Africa to use contraception instead of culling and expect this under the new regulations.  The availability of proven contraceptive techniques means that culling should never have to be used.

Public opposition and tourism

South Africa cannot afford to lose any money from its lucrative tourism industry, worth $7 billion per year. Public opposition to culling would undoubtedly result in the loss of tens of millions of dollars of tourism revenue for the country, and killing South Africa's magnificent elephants would be a travesty.