Issue Type: Human-wildlife conflict

Response to Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal's press release on non-lethal solutions to manage approximately 30 so-called ’problem elephants’ in the KwaCeza areas

Humane Society International / Africa

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On October 24, the provincial conservation and management authority Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife issued an urgent call for non-lethal solutions for elephant conflict mitigation of roaming elephants following the recent movement of approximately 30 elephants into the Esidakaneni area, posing a potential threat to the safety of the community and the elephants.

The herd of elephants originated from the privately owned Mawana Game Reserve, where they were originally introduced in 2003. Often in cases like this, to mitigate human-animal conflict these animals are killed under a culling or Damage Causing Animals permit by the provincial wildlife authority.

In response to EKZNW’s urgent request for NGOs to assist, Humane Society International/Africa , with support from Wildlife Warriors Africa and another team who wish to remain anonymous, and representatives from Mawana and Loziba game reserves, immediately stepped in and responded with the facilitation and coordination of drones to move the elephants away from the community areas, as a helicopter was not immediately available. The delicate task of humanely shepherding the elephants back to safety was undertaken on October 24 and deemed to be successful. The herd was monitored until after sunset and were seen moving further away from the community areas. The situation was reassessed the next day, and whilst the elephants remained distant from the community areas, a decision was made to dispatch a helicopter with support from HSI/Africa to push the elephants back to Mawana Game Reserve. Teams on the ground confirmed that both the elephants and the community residents are calm.

This is not the first time that these elephants conflicted with local communities. Earlier this year nine so-called “problem” elephants were killed due to supposed overpopulation and human-wildlife conflict. One of the elephants was carrying an unborn calf whilst another elephant was lactating, though her calf was not found.

EKZNW acts as the conservation and management authority and whilst NGOs may be able to conduct activities such as collaring or deploying mitigation strategies NGOs cannot do so without authorisation.

Contrary to a EKZNW press release on October 24, HSI/Africa with Elephants Alive have submitted proposals for humane elephant conflict mitigation solutions for the Mawana elephants since May 2024. This includes a temporary fencing solution, elephant shepherds and workshops, as per their requested mandate providing immediate relief to both the community and elephants. A consortium of other NGO’s also submitted other short to long-term solutions including permanent fencing. Every effort has been made by HSI/Africa and the relevant NGO consortium to have this proposal discussed and either modified or finalised. Since then, this proposal has been submitted multiple times and feedback has been requested from EKZNW, but no approval has been granted. Suggesting a working relationship with EKZNW is nothing new; HSI/Africa has been implementing humane non-lethal elephant population control in line with South Africa’s National Norms and Standards for the Management of Elephants since 2020.

Dr. Audrey Delsink, senior wildlife director for Humane Society International/Africa, states: “We are relieved that our efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and prevent potential harm to the Mawana elephant herd and community this week have been successful. We are grateful to work alongside like-minded partners and EKZNW in the last two days’ interventions. However, the time and opportunity to address this matter should have been taken when the proposals were first submitted more than five months ago. We have been trying to work with EKZNW towards a vision of coexistence between the elephants and surrounding communities and coordinate a meeting for months. Now EKZN has arranged to have a meeting with the NGO grouping towards the end of November entitled ‘Towards Co-existence: Government working with NGOs and the communities in Mawana.’ We hope for an open, collaborative and transparent discussion that will craft a viable solution based on prior proposals and constructive dialogue. As conservation NGOs supporting EKZNW in their role as management authority, we are aligned with their guidance and await the urgent decisions concerning this elephant herd.”

HSI/Africa has requested EKZNW to confirm that no destruction of the elephants is to take place within the legal framework whilst deliberation and implementation of the non-lethal proposals takes place.

HSI/Africa and its partner organisations remain committed to assisting EKZNW as the management authority to conserve these animals and protect communities alike.

ENDS

Media contact: Leozette Roode, Media Specialist for HSI/Africa: Lroode@hsi.org; +27 (0)71 360 1104

Humane Society International / Europe

Raimund Linke/Getty Images

BRUSSELS—European Union Member States have agreed by majority to support the European Commission’s proposal to reduce the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention. Humane Society International/Europe believes this regrettable move paves the way for wolf culling as a response to farmed animal depredation and undermines Europe’s efforts to protect and restore biodiversity. It also ignores the call by hundreds of thousands of citizens and organizations for the EU to step up human-wildlife coexistence efforts.

Dr. Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s senior director of public affairs, said:

“We are bitterly disappointed by the decision of Member States to lower the protection status of wolves. While we understand the concerns of local communities, it is important to prioritise evidence-based approaches when managing wildlife.

Although wolves have made a remarkable recovery in parts of Europe, largely due to legal protection measures, the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources found that six out of nine transboundary wolf populations remain vulnerable or near threatened. So, it’s clear that these large carnivores have yet to reach a favorable conservation status across the entire EU.

Reducing wolf protections at this stage, without solid scientific support, just to placate the farming and hunting lobbies, will jeopardise the progress made in restoring wolf populations and—if the Bern Convention is amended—will open the door to further weakening of protections for wolves under the EU’s Habitat Directive. Instead of focusing on lethal control, more concentrated efforts should be directed toward promoting coexistence with wolves. Proven measures such as better strategies to protect farmed animals can address concerns over wolf depredation more effectively than weakening the protections of large carnivores. We believe that fostering this kind of coexistence is the best path forward for both humans and wildlife.”

Facts about wolves in the EU:

  • Wolves play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting biodiversity across Europe and are granted strict protection under both the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive.
  • Wolves are present in 24 of the EU Member States and their total population in the EU amounts to 20,000 individuals. However, the most recent assessments done under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive demonstrates that in six out of seven biogeographical regions in the EU their populations are in unfavorable or inadequate conservation status. Wolf recovery is still in progress and the primary objectives of the Bern Convention and Habitats Directive—restoring endangered species—have yet to be fully achieved.
  • The Commission’s own detailed analysis shows no proof that culling effectively reduces depredation of farmed animals.
  • Last week, a joint statement by more than 300 civil organizations, including HSI/Europe, was presented to decision makers, calling on EU Member States to reject the European Commission’s proposal to weaken the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention and instead intensify efforts to achieve coexistence with large carnivores.
  • An online petition urging EU Member State Environment Ministers to uphold the current conservation status of wolves and prioritize preventive measures to protect farmed animals from attacks has gathered more than 300,000 signatures to date.
  • A survey, conducted in November 2023 in the rural areas of 10 member states, where local communities coexist with large carnivores, showed that 68% of participants support the strict protection status of large carnivores (including 61% of sheep farmers) and 75% claim that farmers should implement available measures to protect their animals from large carnivores. The vast majority of respondents believe that killing of problematic individual carnivores should be a last resort, when protective measures have failed and 69% insist that decisions on the management of wolves and other large carnivores should also consider the benefits and functions these animals provide.

ENDS

Media contact: Yavor Gechev: +359889468098; ygechev@hsi.org

Tortuguero aims to become Costa Rica’s first animal-friendly community with the support of Humane Society International

Humane Society International / Latin America

Andrea Induni/HSI

TORTUGUERO, Costa Rica—As part of a pilot project by Humane Society International to make Tortuguero, in Limon province, an animal-friendly community, 64 dogs and 19 cats received free preventive care during a two-day veterinary clinic. Tortuguero is a rural, isolated community in Costa Rica where access to veterinary care is limited.

During the clinic, a team of veterinary professionals provided free medical examinations, vaccinations, deworming, blood tests and other preventive care services for Tortuguero’s  animals. A total of 83 companion animals received care at no cost, including 30 from the neighboring community of San Francisco, who were brought over by boat. Pet owners also learned about the impact companion animals can have on local wildlife and vice versa.

“The first phase of the program involved engaging with the community of Tortuguero to understand their concerns pertaining to animals. After understanding the community’s needs, we organized the program’s very first outreach clinic, and identified local individuals eager to champion animal welfare efforts. These ‘Animal Ambassadors’ will receive ongoing training and resources to develop, implement and sustain these activities over time,” Andrea Borel, executive director for HSI/Latin America explained.

One of those ambassadors, Víctor Barrantes, brought his two cats, Menguito and Frescolino, to the clinic for vaccinations and deworming. Victor rescued Menguito after finding him abandoned in a box and adopted Frescolino when the cat began visiting his yard searching for food. Victor says that caring for them has given him a new appreciation for animal welfare.

“I want Tortuguero to have a population of healthy pets who receive proper care, stay indoors and don’t disrupt the beach by digging into the turtles’ nests, With the Animal Ambassadors’ group, I believe we can gradually raise awareness and encourage people to treat pets as members of the family, as they should be,” Barrantes said.

Daneysha Rankin, a 16-year-old girl resident, also visited the clinic with her mother and her dog, Chopper, to ensure he received proper care: “I think it is very important to take responsibility for our pets. Today’s youth are consumed by technology―they prefer robot dogs over real ones. We need to change that mindset and appreciate the living beings around us. Sometimes we pay more attention to TikTok than to the animals that are always by our side,” she shared.

This pilot project has been developed in close collaboration with the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC–MINAE), the Tortuguero National Park, the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), the School of Veterinary Medicine of the National University, the National Commission for Biodiversity Management (CONAGEBIO-MINAE), ASVO Costa Rica, the Tortuguero Environmental Committee, and Sea Turtle Conservancy, among others.

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Media contact: Alejandra Zúñiga: alezuniga@outlook.com

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Pixaby

Glue traps, also known as glue or sticky boards, are trays coated with an extremely strong adhesive. Any animal who touches one becomes stuck and cannot escape.

Depending on how frequently the trap is checked, animals can be stuck anywhere from hours to days. Trapped animals struggle to free themselves, some rodents break bones and tear off, or even bite through, their own limbs in a desperate attempt to free themselves. Most often death comes from a combination of exhaustion and dehydration.

Glue traps are indiscriminate. Non-target animals have become trapped, including protected species like wild birds and bats, hedgehogs, fox cubs and even pet cats. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has concluded that there is “an undeniable risk of capture of non-target species”.

Advocacy efforts by HSI and other groups have been successful in bringing about legislation to ban or regulate the use and sale of glue traps. Legislation to ban the use and/or sale of glue traps is in place in several countries, including England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, the Australian state of Victoria and Iceland. We want to see a complete ban on the sale and use of these cruel, indiscriminate and indefensible traps, due to the suffering they cause to animals. Read our Humane Society International/UK report, ‘The Case for a UK Ban on Rodent Glue Traps’.

There are non-lethal ways of dealing with unwanted rodent visitors that are not only more humane, but also far more effective in the long-term, too. Read more about humane rodent solutions.

Where is it illegal to use or sell glue traps?

Several countries have already acted to ban or regulate the sale and use of glue traps on animal welfare grounds.

  • Australia: The state of Victoria has regulated both the sale and use of glue traps.
  • England: Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk) 2022 banned use of glue traps to control rats and mice without a licence. Licenses to use glue traps are only issued to rodent control professionals, in exceptional circumstances and where all alternative methods are impossible or have failed. Anyone applying for a licence to use a glue trap must complete required training and meet specific requirements, including the need to carry out regular inspections of the trap, keep detailed records and prevent the capture of non-target animals.
  • Iceland: The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority announced the new ban citing Article 28 of Iceland’s animal welfare law, which makes it unlawful to use rodent control methods that cause unnecessary entrapment or pain.
  • Ireland: Glue traps are banned under the Wildlife Act, 1976, which forbids the use of certain traps ‘except where authorised in exceptional circumstances’. To date, no authorisations have been granted and since 2008 there have been eight prosecutions for the illegal possession of glue traps.
  • New Zealand: Outlawed the purchase and use of glue traps by members of the public since January 2015, under the Animal Welfare (Glueboard Traps) Order 2009.
  • Scotland banned the use of glue traps in 2024, but the Scottish government’s request for an exemption to the Internal Markets Act was rejected, meaning that a ban on glue trap sales was blocked.
  • USA: Two cities (Ojai and West Hollywood) have banned the sale and use of glue traps.
  • Wales: Banned all use of glue traps in October 2023.

More you can do

Although glue trap use is banned in Scotland, Wales and England (unless under licence in England), they are still commonly found for sale in shops and online. Not only is anyone who uses a glue trap or sticky board at risk from prosecution, they are also condemning animals to a slow and painful death.

Thank you for taking a stand to help animals and for supporting our campaign to end the sale and use of glue traps!

The initiative, that’s first launched in Mysore, enables communities to learn about snakes around them and puts first aid for snakebites at their fingertips

Humane Society International / India

Shaili Shah/HSI HSI/India’s wildlife team member Anisha Iyer engages with the community members and snakebite survivors and educates them about a WhatsApp chatbot that enables them with information on snakebites, types of snakes, how to prevent a snakebite, do’s and don’ts after a snakebite etc.

Mysore, KARNATAKA—Karnataka’s first-of-its-kind WhatsApp chatbot has been launched in Mysore to educate citizens about snakes and snakebite prevention. The chatbot, launched by Humane Society International/India in collaboration with The Liana Trust, provides easily accessible information about snake species found in the local vicinity, as well as lifesaving snakebite first-aid, snakebite prevention tips, and myth-busting around misinformation about snakes that can lead to acts of cruelty. 

The automated chatbot, accessed via a QR code or messaging “Hi” to +91 9154190472, disseminates engaging, visual content in English or Kannada, making it easy to understand. Through the WhatsApp chatbot initiative, both organizations aim to reach at least a lakh users this year in Mysore to foster coexistence with snakes and prevent snakebites. 

India has an unfortunate reputation for having more snakebites than any other country in the world, contributing to nearly 50% of snakebite deaths across the globe. India witnesses ten lakh snakebites a year leading to nearly 58,000 human snakebite-related deaths annually and nearly 200,000 cases of morbidity, with Karnataka alone having 6,500 reported snakebites in 2023. It is also a neglected tropical disease, classified by the World Health Organization, taking a devastating toll on the socioeconomics of households and the mental health of those affected.  

Many people have an innate fear of snakes for various reasons including a lack of meaningful information about them. This often leads to snakes being killed or relocated to alien habitats where they have little chance of survival. The new app addresses this information vacuum to empower local communities to take swift and informed action when snakes are encountered.  

Vinod Krishnan, human-wildlife coexistence manager at Humane Society International/India, said: “Snakebite is a mass problem which requires a mass solution. As per our survey in the Mysore district, WhatsApp is one of the most used digital apps. Hence, this is an easy platform to reach many people with vital information that could save human lives and prevent snake persecution. While there is venom research and strengthening of healthcare infrastructure overall to ensure quality care for those affected, preventing a bite from occurring and knowing the right first aid once a bite occurs is crucial.”  

Gerry Martin, founder of The Liana Trust, said: “As we progress in avenues of public outreach, our methods need to evolve and keep with the times. The chatbot is a great way to have a continuous dialogue with the community, assess the information they are accessing the most, and add further layers to this such as information on the nearest hospital, ambulance services and so on in the future.”  

HSI/India and The Liana Trust have been working in Mysore district since 2018 through ecological studies, social surveys, community outreach, policy reform and institutional capacity building, all to aid in the development of a model district for snakebite prevention and management. In February 2024, Karnataka became the first state in India to declare snakebite as a notifiable disease. 

Download Photos/Video

ENDS

Media Contact: Shaili Shah: 9930591005; sshah@hsi.org 

Humane Society International / Africa

Waldo Swiegers/AP Images for Humane Society International Not the elephant referenced. This mature elephant bull is seen during an afternoon game drive on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at the Makalali Game Reserve, South Africa.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—It has been reported that another “super tusker” elephant bull, from the Amboseli elephant population, has been shot and killed in the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania. The killing took place during a hunting expedition operated by Kilombero North Safaris and allegedly involved a prominent American trophy hunter from Texas. A statement revealed that ”as of 10 March, a further three licenses are said to have been granted raising alarm and putting the integrity of the Amboseli elephant population in jeopardy”.

This is reportedly the third “super tusker” gunned down near the Tanzanian-Kenyan border within the past six months. “Super tuskers,” also known as “hundred-pounder” elephants, are male elephants with at least one tusk weighing 100 pounds (45kg). It is believed that there are as few as 50 left in Africa. They are critically important for stability in elephant societies and their habitats and ecosystems.

Dr Audrey Delsink, elephant behaviour expert and wildlife director for Humane Society International/Africa, says, “It is beyond comprehension that yet another of Africa’s iconic ‘super tuskers’ has fallen victim to the relentless pursuit of trophy hunters. The intrinsic value that these bulls bring to elephant society through their genetics, as repositories of social knowledge and as keystones of the environment, is irreplaceable. Mature bulls are crucial influencers within the population, holding significant importance for the future of younger males.”

“It is a myth that they are expendable as they approach 40+ years of age. This is not the end of their breeding lives but rather when they are at their highest reproductive success, and they should not be senselessly cut down in their prime. The killing of these iconic animals isn’t just a biological travesty but a moral tragedy and a stain on humanity’s conscience,” Delsink explained.

ElephantVoices, Big Life Foundation and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, released a statement appealing for “an end to elephant trophy hunting in the Enduimet Area of Tanzania”.  “The Amboseli population includes adult males with some of the largest tusks on the continent due to the particular genetic makeup of these elephants,” the statement reads. “Approximately 30 adult male elephants, over the age of 25 years, use the Enduimet area and beyond in Tanzania as part of their home range. For half a century Enduimet has been a favourite area for a particular set of adult males.”

Elephants are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species, to which both Kenya and Tanzania are parties. The listing encourages collaboration between countries to achieve conservation and management targets for listed species. Since 1995 a moratorium on trophy hunting of this cross-border elephant population between Kenya and Tanzania was agreed between the nations. After nearly 30 years, this moratorium was shattered when two “super tuskers” were killed south of the border in Tanzania, prior to this third killing.

Studies have found that with age, male elephants dedicate more of their energy toward reproducing. Mature bull elephants like these “super tuskers” will travel twice as fast and three times as far when they are in musth—the periodic state of intensive testosterone-fuelled sexual activity. Thus, the “conscious selection” of older “surplus” males being targeted by hunters has detrimental effects on the wider elephant society and can lead to a population collapse or long-lasting negative population changes. The biased removal of these older Amboseli bulls through trophy hunting poses a massive threat to these migratory animals.

Mature elephant bulls also act as role models for younger males. The killing of dominant elephant bulls results in the loss of vital social knowledge and experience from which these younger animals learn. Without leadership, the young bulls may navigate into risky environments and become more aggressive, resulting in physical interactions and associated injuries, and even increased human-wildlife conflict.

Dr Joyce Poole, co-founder and Scientific Director of ElephantVoices, says, “Fifty years of research on Amboseli’s known individuals has shown that males between 35 and 55 years of age are the primary breeders. Hunters who claim that older males are “dead wood” are just plain ignorant of the science. Males who are given the chance to live to an old age produce a disproportionate number of offspring, passing their genes to the next generation. By killing large tusked males hunters are damaging elephant society, negatively impacting Amboseli’s rare gene pool for large tusks and taking a toll on its future tourism potential.”

After a hunt, it is common for parts of the elephant to be taken and claimed as trophies. It is alleged that in this instance, the elephant’s carcass was intentionally destroyed through burning, to hide the travesty of making this bull yet another statistic in the ever-declining, already fragile “super tusker” elephant population.

ENDS

Media contact: Leozette Roode, HSI/Africa media and communications specialist, +27 (0)71 360 1104

Humane Society International / Canada

Wolf in the snow
Marco Arduino/Alamy Stock Photo

OTTAWA, Ontario—Wolf Awareness, WeHowl, Animal Justice, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International/Canada and Animal Alliance of Canada are applauding a decision by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency to cease the use of the poison strychnine for killing wild animals, including wolves, coyotes and black bears. 

The decision to cancel the registration of products containing this dangerous poison follows years of advocacy and campaigning, including a request for special review of strychnine and other predacides filed by a coalition of groups in December 2020. Today’s decision reverses the PMRA’s initial proposal in August 2022 to allow the continued use of both strychnine and Compound 1080. That proposed decision was widely condemned by animal protection and conservation groups because of the cruel nature of these indiscriminate poisons and the serious harm that they cause to the environment.   

Strychnine is notorious for causing some of the most agonizing symptoms of any poison, including muscular convulsions that can last up to 24 hours or longer before an animal finally succumbs to exhaustion or suffocation. Due to its gruesome nature, it featured prominently in Agatha Christie murder mystery novels. 

In addition to the unnecessary pain the poison inflicts on its intended targets, it is known to recklessly kill hundreds of non-target animals each year, including companion dogs, birds of prey and endangered species. These animals suffer and die after consuming poison baits or from consuming the bodies of other poisoned animals. 

“This decision is a huge victory for wild animals across Canada,” said Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy with Animal Justice. “Strychnine is among the most gruesome poisons in existence. We are thrilled that animals will no longer endure the agony of strychnine poisoning on the Canadian landscape.”    

“Strychnine not only kills the intended wolves, coyotes, black bears and skunks,” said Hannah Barron, conservation director with Wolf Awareness. “It also kills countless other animals unintentionally, including golden eagles, lynx, ravens, grizzly bears and companion dogs, to name a few. Getting rid of this indiscriminate poison gets Canada one step closer to meeting its biodiversity targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”  

“There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that lethal removal of large carnivores, including through poisoning, is not an effective way to reduce predation on livestock,” said Sadie Parr, organizer of WeHowl. “There are more effective ways to prevent conflicts, which are also more ethical and environmentally responsible. Many Canadians are already using such methods with success.” 

“Canada’s use of strychnine to kill wildlife is an issue that attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens in Canada and beyond. We are thrilled that Health Canada has reversed their previous decision, and finally canceled all uses of strychnine” said Sheryl Fink, director of Canadian wildlife issues with IFAW.  

“I want to thank the Minister of Health and the folks at the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for banning the use of strychnine in Canada,” said Liz White, director of Animal Alliance of Canada. “No longer will this predacide be spread on the landscape indiscriminately killing wolves, coyotes and many other wild animals.” 

“We are thrilled with Health Canada’s decision to ban this deplorable poison, which has no place in wildlife management,” said Kelly Butler, wildlife campaign manager at Humane Society International/Canada. “This ban will spare so many animals from horrific, prolonged and needless deaths and we commend the government for taking this step towards improving welfare outcomes for wildlife and removing poisons from Canada’s ecosystems.” 

While the animal protection and environmental groups are relieved following PMRA’s decision to end the use of strychnine by September, it remains urgent for the PMRA to also ban Compound 1080, another poison also used to kill wolves and coyotes. It causes vomiting, convulsions, intense pain and hallucinations to animals who ingest it, and is unacceptably cruel. 

Similar to strychnine, the effects of Compound 1080 can last hours or even days before an animal dies from cardiac failure or respiratory arrest. 

According to a national Environics poll commissioned by Wolf Awareness, Animal Alliance and Animal Justice, 69% of Canadians say that the risks posed by strychnine and Compound 1080 used in Canadian wildlife management programs are unacceptable. 

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Media Contacts: 

 

Sadie Parr 

Wolf researcher/advocate and Organizer of WeHowl 

sadieparrwolfpact@gmail.com 

250-272-4695 

 

Hannah Barron 

Conservation Director, Wolf Awareness 

hannah@wolfawareness.org 

647-567-8337 

 

Kaitlyn Mitchell 

Director of Legal Advocacy, Animal Justice 

kmitchell@animaljustice.ca 

647-764-8702 

 

Sheryl Fink 

Director, Canadian Wildlife Campaigns. IFAW Canada 

sifnk@ifaw.org 

519-830-0046 

 

Kelly Butler 

Wildlife Campaign Manager, Humane Society International/Canada 

kbutler@hsi.org 

514 914-7607 

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS—Today the European Commission has announced that it will be taking steps to reduce legal protections for wolves in the EU. To achieve this, they will propose the downgrading of the wolf’s protection status under the Bern Convention. At present, wolves are listed under Appendix II, which means they require special protection. However, if Parties to the Bern Convention agree to this proposal, the species will be downlisted to Appendix III. While still protected, the “exploitation” of the species could still be regulated in accordance with the Convention. This would open the door to more wolves being killed in the EU and the potential amendment of the EU Habitats Directive.

Humane Society International/Europe condemns the Commission’s alarming attempts to downgrade legal protections for wolves in the EU. Despite the remarkable resurgence of this species as a conservation success, the leadership of the Commission, instead of upholding its commitment to biodiversity protection, appears to be yielding to pressure from farming and hunting lobbies advocating for increased wolf killings. HSI/Europe is also concerned about the process that led to the current decision.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for HSI/Europe, says: “This decision of the European Commission is deeply troubling, as it is driven more by political convenience than scientific evidence and stems from an opaque and irregular consultation process relying on anecdotal submissions.”

HSI/Europe, in collaborating with other animal and environmental protection organisations, has consistently communicated its profound concerns to President Ursula  von der Leyen regarding the alarming trajectory of large carnivore protection.

Dr Swabe emphasizes: “If President von der Leyen believes that she is currying favour with rural voters with such decisions ahead of the EU elections, she should think twice. A recent survey conducted among rural communities in 10 Member States found that a significant majority are keen to see legal protections for wolves upheld and priority given to their conservation. Rather than trying to destroy legal protections for these large carnivores, the Commission should be working harder to promote the uptake of coexistence measures in Member States, since opportunities to implement mitigation measures are being underutilised despite the fact that farmers can receive 100% remuneration for taking non-lethal action to protect their animals.”

Facts
  • The Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, known more commonly as the Bern Convention,is a legal instrument in the field of nature conservation, covering most of Europe and extending to some states of Africa.
  • On 4th September 2023, the Commission issued a press release claiming that the concentration of wolf packs in the EU has become a danger for farm animals and potentially for humans. This statement was misleading and not based on science. It also announced the collection of data on “challenges related to the return of wolves” for an 18-day period.
  • HSI/Europe and other NGOs consequently wrote to President von der Leyen raising concerns that this public ‘consultation’ violated the Commission’s own rules with regard to Better Regulation, and challenging its necessity given the data generated by the recent Fitness Check of the Nature Directives, as well as from Member States reporting under the requirements of the Habitats Directive, including in relation to the existing derogations concerning large carnivores.
  • A survey conducted by Savanta in November 2023 among a sample of 10,000 inhabitants of rural areas in 10 Member States (Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Romania) found that many rural inhabitants are supportive of protecting wolves and other large carnivores, with 68% stating that they should be strictly protected and over two-thirds (72%) agreeing that they have a right to co-exist.
  • The farming and hunting lobby have consistently been pushing for the protection status of wolves to be downgraded. Yet the Savanta survey found that a very low proportion of respondents indicated that they feel well-represented by hunting (12%) and farming (18%) interest groups.
  • Wolves are listed in the Annexes of the EU Habitats Directive as either a strictly protected or protected species, depending on the population in question. Hunting permits to kill them can only be granted under exceptional circumstances.
  • The Habitats Directive authorises Member States to use derogations to allow management control provided there is “no satisfactory alternative and the derogation is not harmful to the maintenance of the populations of the species concerned.” These exceptions are meant to stop “serious damage” to livestock and crops, protect the public’s health and safety or for research and education. However, research indicates that while in theory hunting may be allowed in very narrow circumstances, in reality it would be very difficult to do so in a way that complies with all criteria of the Directive, and questionable whether it could comply with the precondition that no satisfactory alternatives exist.
  • The Commission recently published a detailed Guidance Document to provide clarification to Member States on how this derogation can be applied.
  • The EU’s LIFE programme has already funded numerous projects to help effectively mitigate human-large carnivore conflicts.
  • State Aid provisions compensate farmers with 100% financial remuneration for losses suffered and costs incurred by predator attacks, but also offer 100% reimbursement for the mitigation measures implemented. The primary issue is that farmers are not always aware of their entitlement to such funds, and Member States are slow in compensating them for their losses.

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Media contact: Yavor Gechev, communications director for HSI/Europe: ygechev@hsi.org ; +359889468098 ; +393515266629

Dong Nai pilot project by Humane Society International in Viet Nam offers hope for the conservation of Viet Nam’s wild elephants

Humane Society International

HSI Wild Asian elephants in Viet Nam. Images captured by camera traps as part of HSI Viet Nam’s project to monitor the wild population and humanely mitigate human-elephant conflict.

DONG NAI, Viet Nam—Efforts to save Viet Nam’s wild elephants—currently listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List are being given a boost by a new collaborative, science-based project including camera trap IDs. The unique project is a joint effort between the government of Viet Nam* and animal protection partner Humane Society International and is part of Viet Nam’s new national elephant conservation action plan to protect the country’s remaining wild elephant herds. By using camera traps to create individual photo IDs and profiles for each animal, while also monitoring human-elephant conflict incidents and conducting elephant distribution surveys, the project aims to better understand elephants, their movements and behavior to help humanely mitigate human-elephant conflict which threatens this endangered sub-population of Asia’s elephants.

Viet Nam’s once thriving population of wild forest elephants has declined from around 2,000 individuals four decades ago to now as few as 100-130. Dong Nai is home to the second largest remaining wild elephant population in the country. Due to its significance, this region has been prioritized for elephant protection, and over the past two years researchers from HSI’s Viet Nam team have used camera traps to build a unique catalogue of the resident elephants, each with their own Vietnamese name and ID card of distinguishing features, behaviors, demographics, body condition and herd grouping. Male adult elephants such as Nga Lech, Cat Tien and Dat Do have been tracked and identified throughout the Cat Tien National Park, the Dong Nai Nature Reserve and the La Nga State-owned Forestry Enterprise of three districts (Tan Phu, Vinh Cuu and Dinh Quan).

The level of detail obtained from the project’s photographs and videos has never been achieved before for Viet Nam’s wild elephants. Among other results, it has enabled researchers to nearly double their estimates for Dong Nai’s sub-population from just 14 to between 25-27 individuals. HSI hopes this extremely encouraging data for Dong Nai’s sub-population might bring good news for a nationwide increase in population estimates should the project be applied across all elephant range provinces in Viet Nam, especially Dak Lak, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Nam which hold the other largest sub-populations.

Nguyen Quoc Tri, vice minister of the Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “Unlike other efforts, this special project with HSI provides us with science-based and practical solutions. From the viewpoint of government management, I highly appreciate the diverse stakeholder engagement that the project has involved, including local communities, researchers and animal protection experts so that both human and wild animal voices are considered carefully as part of each recommendation impacting elephants.”

The joint project not only helps better track and understand this elephant sub-population, it also helps to monitor and better manage human-elephant conflict incidents. Over the past several years, researchers have gathered data on the type of locations where such conflict occurs, the level of conflict experienced, as well as the number and identities of the elephants involved in each incident. The data gathered from community questionnaires as part of an elephant distribution survey has also revealed the true size of the elephants’ home range and those areas shared between humans and elephants.

These initiatives confirm that confrontational deterrent tactics such as hitting elephants with sticks, banging cooking utensils, deploying firecrackers and homemade explosives, or even setting poison, are not only detrimental to elephant welfare but can also make elephants defensive and more aggressive in the presence of people, which further escalates conflict. With so few elephants left, even one fatality due to conflict is a disastrous outcome. Monitoring human-elephant conflict through this initiative will improve mitigation strategies by basing them on a deeper understanding of the wants, needs, habitats and habits of the elephants.

Vo Van Phi, vice chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee, said: “Dong Nai Province would love to pioneer new initiatives to protect threatened species. Losing the last Javan rhino in Cat Tien National Park questions and challenges us to save other endangered species to ensure Dong Nai is one of the highest biodiversity hotspots in Viet Nam. Obtaining these promising results for our wild elephants, we sincerely thank MARD/DOF and HSI for their technical and financial support over the last several years.”

Phuong Tham, Viet Nam country director for Humane Society International, said: “Viet Nam’s elephant population is now so small that unless we act fast to protect them, they face the very real possibility of extinction. The Viet Nam government has acknowledged that conservation priority with a very welcome national protection program which HSI is helping to craft, and this Dong Nai project is a key component. With elephants and people competing for limited habitat, conflict situations can arise and even be exacerbated when violent or frightening deterrent tactics are employed. These tactics also treat elephants as perpetrators rather than as stakeholders who need to be understood. With HSI’s new research data, conflict situations can be approached knowing the characteristics, behavior, range and habits of the specific elephants involved, so that custom-designed solutions can be implemented that have a far better chance of promoting peaceful co-existence between people and pachyderms.”

Humane Society International and its government partners (Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee) formally announced the findings of the camera trap identification work, together with the human-elephant conflict monitoring and distribution survey, at a two-day workshop in Dong Nai on 30-31 Aug. Ten international experts joined with more than 50 Vietnamese delegates to share and discuss the best practices for elephant protection to apply within Viet Nam’s local contexts of small and fragmented elephant populations. It is hoped that the workshop will contribute significantly to assist Viet Nam’s decision makers in identifying which actions to adopt for Viet Nam’s national elephant conservation action plan, which will run from 2023 to 2032, with a vision to 2050. In the meantime, the data gathered and the methodology implemented will continue to provide the foundation for ongoing work in Dong Nai province, and the partners hope that it can be replicated in other elephant range provinces in Viet Nam to learn more about the local populations and mitigate human-elephant conflict across the country.

Download Photos/Video from the Camera Trap

ENDS

Media contacts:

  • Wendy Higgins, HSI’s director of international media, whiggins@hsi.org
  • Mai Nguyen, senior wildlife manager of HSI in Viet Nam, maitn@hsi.org,
*The government of Viet Nam is represented by the Department of Forestry under Viet Nam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Dong Nai Forest Protection Department of Dong Nai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development under Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee.

HSI/Africa’s Elefence Project supports newly approved national wildlife management priorities laid out in 2023 White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity

Humane Society International / Africa

HSI

CAPE TOWN, South Africa— Animal protection organisation Humane Society International/Africa has advanced a unique community-based conservation project around Ithala Game Reserve to facilitate peaceful co-existence between elephant herds and local people. In collaboration with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, African Conservation Trust and the Bio-Diversity Conservation Foundation, HSI/Africa is constructing an elephant-proof fence in the 290 km2 reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal province to stop resident pachyderms from leaving the prescribed area and damaging local crops as they roam further afield. Project Elefence clearly aligns with the South African Government’s White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity, approved and gazetted earlier this month, which aims to “conserve and manage South Africa’s biodiversity, and ensure healthy ecosystems, ecological integrity and connectivity, with transformative socio-economic benefits to society for current and future generations.”

The fence will provide a humane solution to mitigate elephant-human conflict instead of lethal population control methods such as culling. The project’s collaborative, community-centric approach is the result of many years’ work by HSI/Africa and partners which has placed establishing relationships with local communities and employing social ecologists right at the heart of the project. As the boundary between several communities and the reserve is currently unfenced, the project brings enormous benefits and security to the people living close by, while also protecting the resident wildlife. Project Elefence runs alongside HSI/Africa’s other humane elephant management project at Ithala, an innovative immunocontraception program implemented since 2014.

An additional benefit is that the fence still allows smaller animals including local cattle herds to walk under the fence to access their grazing areas and the Phongolo river, while keeping elephants in the confined area.

Audrey Delsink, elephant biologist and HSI/Africa director of wildlife, says: “This is a prime example of human-wildlife cooperation that is implicit within the government’s White Paper, because it creates wildlife and community benefit at the same time. It was absolutely imperative for us from the outset to adopt a community-centered approach. We have eight communities including the land-owning communities of Ithala fully engaged in this project as active stakeholders and participants. Far too often, conservation projects have taken a top-down approach and failed to engage the local communities that are directly affected. With Project Elefence, the surrounding communities are essential partners who have a clear vested interest in making this work to protect and enhance their land tenure, livelihoods, crops and property. As an elephant biologist, I’m also proud that HSI/Africa is yet again spearheading practical, humane solutions to prevent lethal killing being used to control elephants in South Africa.”

HSI/Africa applauds the project partners for their involvement in this cutting-edge initiative, the first of many projects supporting the mission set forth in the White Paper and urges the adoption of this community-based conservation method throughout the rest of South Africa.

ENDS

Media contact: Leozette Roode, media specialist for Humane Society International/Africa, LRoode@hsi.org, +27 71 360 1104.

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