Namibia’s desert elephants back on the butcher’s block

[Lisbeth]

Namibia’s desert elephants back on the butcher’s block

BY LOUZEL LOMBARD STEYN - 30 AUGUST 2017 - TRAVELLER24

Three of Namibia’s iconic desert elephants have become moving targets after the Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET) earlier this month approved permits to hunt them. The hunting permits – one problem bull tag and two trophy bull tags – have been issued for the Ugab basin where the iconic ‘Voortrekker’ bull also roams.

The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization states that MET should at least produce the problem animal’s rap sheet – which shows its destructive track record – before a decision is made for it to be killed.

MET have not responded to any queries for the rap sheet of the problem elephant and according to an online petition by Desert Elephants & Friends “no alternatives were taken into consideration. It will just be shot.”

Elephants in the Ugab region have been hunted under a ‘problem elephant’ excuse before. According to the Earth Organization Namibia, MET may in its discretion declare any wild animal a ‘problem animal’, without any specific legal procedure to make this determination. “All the power sits with MET, with no checking mechanism,” Earth Organization Namibia says.

Even though it should be standard procedure to implement the Precautionary Principal to ensure the sustainability of endangered species, MET is turning a blind eye to their own Environmental Management Act. During the Great Elephant Census (GEC), published last year Namibia elected not to have its elephants counted according to international standards, free of charge. Instead it argued at the 2016 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that it needed special permission to trade in ivory, claiming steady growing elephant populations.

For the trophy hunts, issuance of these hunting permits isn’t a new phenomenon either. The Namibian Government has been and is still granting hunting permits for elephants despite public outcry and the obvious questionability of killing elephants for sport from already low and declining populations.

Desert elephants are even advertised as ‘some of the rarest animals in the world’, considerably upping the bounty on their heads, Desert Elephants & Friends says.

It is estimated that only five big resident bulls remain in the Ugab region, two being prime breeding bulls between 30- and 45-years-old and three mature breeding bulls between 25 and 30. Among these, the magnificent ‘Voortrekker’ could be one of the two trophies felled.

Desert Elephants & Friends are again appealing to Namibian Minister of Environment & Tourism Pohamba Shifeta to proclaim a complete moratorium on the hunting of the desert elephants, and conduct an immediate audit on the remaining populations. The petition also asks for the world-renowned elephants to be declared national treasure.

Following the international uproar in 2014, however, MET shut down all communication on the matter. Earth Organisation Namibia says it is now nearly impossible to get any kind of documentation from the Namibian government.

Another worrying issue is that the Namibian government counts all elephants as the same, when they’re really not. The great Namib Desert is home to one of the world’s two desert elephant populations, the other being in Mali in the Sahara Desert. According to the Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA) 2016 annual report, the total number of desert-adapted elephants in the Ugab and Huab river region was 62, with the population declining year by year.

These ‘adapted’ elephants are a living survival legacy. A study published in Ecology and Evolution in 2016 found that the Namib Desert elephants pass on knowledge to survive – not genetic mutations through DNA. This means that removing a mature animal from a herd will jeopardise the entire population’s survival. EHRA further explains that if desert elephants were extirpated, “they might not readily be replaced by other Savannah elephants that had not learned the behaviours needed for desert survival”.

Considering there are effective conservation methods used to control human-elephant conflict, it’s even more macabre that MET is allowing hunting permits for ‘problem animals’ without considering alternatives. In East Africa, for example, Human Elephant Conflict has been successfully curtailed using simple, cost-effective and mutually beneficial ‘bee fences’. Piloted in 2014 in consultation with elephant expert Dr Lucy King, The Elephants and Bees Project proved to be at least 80% effective.

Namibia’s lethal ‘solution’ to problem animals and its reckless hunting of an animal so unique to its borders begs the question; What is Namibia’s MET, supposed custodian of environment and tourism’s true motivation for killing rare desert elephants?

Read original article: http://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Gree ... k-20170830

[Lisbeth]

And there are so few left

Are you short of money? Sell the lives of a few RARE elephants and who cares

[Lisbeth]

Namibian Tourism Ministry brushes off questionable killing of desert elephants

BY LOUZEL LOMBARD - 24 OCTOBER 2017 - ETURBONEWS

Two of the only five remaining mature desert elephant bulls that occupied the Ugab region of Namibia have recently been hunted and killed.



Tsaurab and Tusky, along with another juvenile bull, Kambonde, were shot in the midst of an international outcry and ongoing petitions attempting to halt the killings – an uproar brushed off by the Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET) as a “fabrication and misunderstanding over the issuance of permits for the destruction of problem-causing animals,” stating also that the killing of a problem-causing animal is “often the last resort after other alternatives have been tried.”

However, with the killing of Kambonde, supposedly a problem-causing animal, this was not the case.

Inhumane killing

According to the daughter of the owner of the property where Kambonde was shot, landowners and locals attempted to save the elephant. “We made a lot of effort to relocate the elephant, but the Government refused to give a permit.”

Instead, a hunting permit was issued by MET. But on the day of the kill, the hunter refused to go ahead with the kill because the 18-year-old Kambonde was too small. Instead, the hunter was issued a last-minute trophy hunting permit to shoot Tsaurab, a desert elephant affectionately known for his meek and gentle character and one of only two young breeding adult bulls in the region.

The next day, MET ordered the killing of Kambonde anyway. And, according to a community game guard in Sorris Sorris Conservancy, the animal’s death was a bloodbath. “The elephant had to be shot eight times after the hunter just wounded it with the first shot. The MET warden present at the hunt had to apply the coup de grâce,” or mercy kill.

According to MET spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, problem animals are often outsourced to be killed by paying hunters, as was the case with Kambonde.

Voortrekker, the famous 45-year-old bull, 35-year-old Bennie and 25-year-old Cheeky are now the only bulls of breeding age remaining in the region.

Why kill rare desert elephants?

Following the hunting, MET assures “all international followers” that they “have created platforms that incentivize communities to co-exist with wildlife”. As is evident in the case of Kambonde, however, no “co-existence” effort appears to have been considered, despite the relocation option put forward by the community itself.

No reply has been received to a letter and extensive research document put together by concerned stakeholders, including Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA), either. The document and letter, obtained through a lodge in the area that participated in the survey, was addressed directly to Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta and outlined the conservation status, population breakdown, financial value, ecological importance and job opportunities surrounding desert elephants.

MET’s reluctance to consider alternative measures to deal with problem-causing animals is further marred by the absence of a legal checking mechanism which establishes whether an animal in question is indeed “problem-causing,” and whether its killing is indeed the last resort. According to the Earth Organization Namibia, MET may in its discretion declare any wild animal a “problem animal.”

These obfuscations are causing suspicion among conservationists, who argue that MET is being dictated to by outside influences and benefactors, such as the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) Foundation who facilitated the 2013 black rhino hunt in Namibia.

Despite the backlash spurred from the aforementioned hunt, Namibia’s MET and the US trophy-hunting group DSC earlier this year signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at “promoting” Namibia’s conservation hunting and allowing the hunters’ club to help with auctioning off the country’s “old” rhinos, among other hunting objectives.

Denying desert elephants

MET continues to justify the killing of desert elephants through trophy hunting by denying the existence of these adapted animals altogether. In September, Muyunda told The Namibian that there is no such thing as a desert elephant. He says the definition is a mere “marketing tool for tourist attractions or conservationists with the apparent intention of implying to endangerment or eminent extinction of those elephants.”

Scientific, peer-reviewed research suggests otherwise. A study published in Ecology and Evolution in 2016 found not only that the Namib desert elephants were different from their Savanna cousins, but that their adaptations are also not genetically transferred to the next generation, rather through the passing on of knowledge. Morphological differences, like the adapted elephants’ thinner bodies and wider feet, also distinguish them from typical Savanna Elephants, which MET claim them to be.

EHRA’s annual report for 2016 also showed that only 62 desert-adapted elephants remained in the Ugab and Huab river region. Muyunda, on the other hand, says Namibia’s elephants are not at risk at all.

Although MET states that it considers “all aspects on the basis of science and research when granting a permit to hunt any species,” attempts to attain such “science and research” have been ignored.

Read original article: https://eturbonews.com/168572/namibian- ... -elephants

[Richprins]

Ja, morons in charge there too. This is very important, as one cannot reintroduce other elephants there much, IMO, as the population is unique and specially adapted to desert conditions.

One could theoretically hunt bulls over breeding age.

Well done to the monitoring groups there!

[Lisbeth]

Sure, but it does not help a lot when they do not have the government behind them. As you say, ones the last male is gone, they are all gone. They are genetically different from the bush elephant

[Flutterby]

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is with Brent T Pennell.Like Page
11 hrs ·
Voortrekker, the iconic pioneer of the Namib Elephants has been killed.
**UPDATE** It has been confirmed by Johannes Haasbroek (EHRA) in Namibia, who said - "So it’s confirmed. The iconic bull Voortrekker has been murdered by a trophy hunter on Tuesday morning. He was the last large dominant bull amongst the 120 desert dwelling elephant left in the North West deserts of Namibia. Targeted not for anything but his fame. For sure me rich bastard to claim the last. We bought a license to hunt him in 2008 and for 10 years the hunting outfitters and their sick clients conspired to get this gentle giant declared a problem to justify a hunt. He never stepped out of line. I lived and fought and cried for that gentleman. I have no words anymore. Let the planet die now. With him. All that is left for me is to watch and weep. See you in a better world my friend. This one was not meant for us. I failed you."
facebook.com/johannes.haasbroek/posts/10161716027415447
I HAVE NO WORDS!
-------------------------------------------------------
Statement from earlier today - Namibia: Extremely disturbing news. UNCONFIRMED reports are coming in that the elephant bull Voortrekker, pioneer of the Namib Desert elephants, has been shot as a trophy.
We are waiting for more news and will keep you updated. More than shocking if this is true, but still hoping it is Not!

[Lisbeth]

And some people dare say that hunting is helping conservation

[RogerFraser]

FB Post Elephant Human Relations Aid
May 29, 2018


Our dear Sir Voortrekker calmly and slowly approaching the EHRA cars. With the volunteers keeping very quiet he ambled right past everyone.

We are pleased to see this handsome boys confidence is back since he broke his tusk a short while ago. x
Credit: Christophe Pitot
#voortrekker

[RogerFraser]

Article from 2014

Voortrekker, Legendary Elephant, Under Threat In Namibia

https://www.thedodo.com/living-legend-o ... vQr1jPISN0



We would like to tell you a tale of courage, perseverance and tenacity. It is the story of Voortrekker, the famous Namib Desert Elephant bull pictured above. Voortrekker means
"pioneer," "the leader," or "the one who shows the way." Never has there been a name more apt than his.

In the 1980s there were no elephants left in the northwestern stretch of Namibia's Kunene region due to over-hunting and rampant poaching. Then in 1989, Voortrekker visited the area, scouting around for a couple of weeks, patiently assessing every possible location, looking for danger, protection, hide-aways, watering holes and secret juicy food supplies.

A few weeks later Voortrekker returned, bringing his family to the Ugab River area. The small group of elephants must have been surprised at their leader's actions, but trusted him implicitly, as his instincts always had turned out right before. The family unit, consisting of only about 20 individual elephants, had moved in. The Damaraland Desert was now their home and they had to survive.

Voortrekker taught them how to dig wells with their trunks and which shrubs contained the softest, moist foods. He showed them how to store water in a poach in their throats to use a couple of hours later, when they weren't near the watering holes anymore. He led them straight to the fragrant Commiphora plants for a special treat.

The original group of 20 elephants split into three distinct family units, each favoring specific areas of the Desert for themselves. Over the years they travelled many miles, their feet developing wider than those of other elephants. They became skinnier than normal elephants, and they started nursing their babies for twice as long to adapt to the harsh conditions.

In 2008, the Namibian government decided to issue permits to hunts these elephants. Six permits were issued, one for Voortrekker. An urgent appeal was launched with the help of Desert Elephant Conservation in order to stop the hunt, but five elephants still got killed.

A group of 10 dedicated women took up Voortrekker's cause, and walked 140 kilometers (about 87 miles) through the desert in order to raise the funds needed to buy the bull elephant's permit. His hunting tag was successfully purchased from the Government for a total of $12,000 USD, as a live trophy. The other five elephants had lost their lives, but Voortrekker was now a living legend.

An elephant like Voortrekker, as a living icon, deserves to have the same legendary status as Satao and Mountain Bull, and any of the others that we sadly are so frequently mourning for these days.

Voortrekker has a personality all of his own, and with his infinite and ancient knowledge, his wisdom has helped to bring the Namib Desert elephants to the current population numbers; if left alone, they will survive and prosper. He is stocky, and strong, often photographed with his trunk hanging over one tusk.

This magnificent pioneer is mischievous, but never viciously destructive. In dreams he still visits the humans who care for him and protected him all those years ago, like a phantom in the night, with a silent whisper of thank you echoing through the quiet desert night.

The saddest part of this story is that should the Namibian Ministry of Environmentalism and Tourism continue with the hunting permits, it is quite possible that Voortrekker can be killed under one of those permits, even though his life was bought and paid for.

We simply cannot let this happen.

Facebook: SaveDesertElephants

Sources: Live Trophy

[Richprins]

So is he dead?