When South Africa's government last year raised the possibility of culling elephants in its famed Kruger National Park, where it says the elephant population is becoming too big for the environment to sustain, public opposition led by animal-rights groups forced it to quietly drop the subject. Anti-culling groups such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare argue that in situations where man has already altered the environment, such as in Africa's game parks, meddling might as well be humane rather than involve the killing of excess animals. We've interfered so much already. The difference, say those on the other side, is the damage posed by elephants to other animals and plants, and to people's livelihoods. If we're truly serious about maintaining biodiversity and preventing extinctions, we have an obligation not to let one animal control the environment, said John Ledger of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, who sees culling as a necessary evil as modern Africa tries to balance human with animal needs.
Elephants are the problem animal of the continent.
Drums used to be the weapon of choice for Mabele's 800 residents, Tumede said. When herds or a single elephant came into town, residents would pound on drums to scare them off. Now, they've become too numerous and bold to be frightened, so people are reduced to sleeping in their fields at night with guns to shoot the animals if they approach. There's no way to protect the people and the animals at the same time, said Nkonkwena, who, like most people here, wishes the government would cull the herds and does not share environmental activists' adoration of them. I don't like the elephants.