Questionable Buffalo and Hippo culling in Kruger

[Richprins]

Ja, but the idea is to keep it and eat it in the Park, nana. Certain meat may not leave the Lowveld due to disease control!

[nan]

so they can have disease inside the park

[Richprins]

Yes, nana! Diseases like Anthrax and Foot and Mouth, and now Bovine Tuberculosis are endemic to the Park. They try to keep them away from farms further inland! Remember, wild animals can handle them, but they will wipe out domestic herds, or make them unusable.

[Lisbeth]

They have been suffering from all those diseases for years as far as I know

[Richprins]

Yes, that is why they are endemic to Kruger!

nana, there is a long document here just to do with foot and mouth. It is incredibly strict!

https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct=j ... 8914,d.bGs



From infected zone:
 Break-dry buffalo biltong, free of glands and large blood
vessels and prepared with vinegar, and well-cooked buffalo
meat, may be moved from the infected zone to any destination
for own consumption (ordinary permit).
“Break-dry biltong”: when rigor mortis is complete, the meat
must be deboned, salted with cooking salt (NaCl) and
completely dried, i.e., having a ratio between water and
protein not greater than 2.25:1. It must not deteriorate at
ambient temperature.
“Well-cooked meat”: meat must be deboned and defatted,
and then subjected to heating so that an internal temperature
of 70°C or greater is maintained for a minimum of 30 minutes.
After cooking, it shall be packed and handled in such a way
that it cannot be exposed to a source of virus.

[nan]

indeed, very strict

[Richprins]

The thing is, as Robert pointed out, SP have been quite firm about drought being a necessary part of nature, taking out the weak animals, giving a break to predators, and not needing human intervention etc. for about a year. Which may be construed as fair enough?

But now culling has been approved, and artificial waterholes opened up again. And suddenly the needs of communities have entered the mix.

So one may be forgiven for being skeptical about the "leave it to the professionals" approach?

This is very serious, and not to be compared to mopane worm harvesting, for example.

Also little mention is made of the elephant in the room by the pros?

[RobertT]

Saw a post from Lorinda (Jumbo) asking why 3 weeks after Zuma visited with the land claims event the abattoir was refurbished. Apparently financial compensation was mentioned as well as other contributions to come were mentioned in speech.

[Richprins]

Ja, Rob...the visit and "handover" was before elections, and the abattoir has been under refurbishment for a while now, I think?

The point is, media are watching here too, and I get the impression SP are stalling regarding nitty-gritty replies about the exact process being followed. I also think meat has been "taken" for years now and deposited over the fence, literally.

[Bushcraft]

The thing is, as Robert pointed out, SP have been quite firm about drought being a necessary part of nature, taking out the weak animals, giving a break to predators, and not needing human intervention etc. for about a year. Which may be construed as fair enough?

But now culling has been approved, and artificial waterholes opened up again. And suddenly the needs of communities have entered the mix.

So one may be forgiven for being skeptical about the "leave it to the professionals" approach?

This is very serious, and not to be compared to mopane worm harvesting, for example.

Also little mention is made of the elephant in the room by the pros?

Correct

Experts don’t contradict themselves as that causes skepticism about whether experts are making the decision in the first place.

Also the amount of snared animals in the south is alarming, the continued link between rhino poaching and Kruger officials is frightening, the fact that simple polygraphing of staff is being avoided, commercialization, etc, all creates grounds for doubt about whether many have conservation at heart.