Questionable Buffalo and Hippo culling in Kruger

[Twigga]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/kruger. ... 565841456/

Dear Stakeholders.

SANParks is managing the Kruger National Park, often in the face of uncertainty. We are trying to better understand and manage a complex system which has been and still is being influenced in a very complex way by a complex set of drivers and human interferences (fences, artificial waterholes, unnatural diseases, climate change, removal of an erstwhile top-predator in the form of humans, etc.). The large herbivore biomass is currently the highest ever in Kruger’s history (plus minus 20,000 elephant, 47,000 buffalo, 7,500 hippo) and we see significant changes in habitat caused by these high numbers. Buffalo and hippo are drought sensitive species and previous droughts in KNP have shown population declines of up to 50%. Given that the buffalo population is at higher densities than previous droughts, it is expected that the population will incur huge losses during the current drought. If the numbers that remained after the previous droughts in the 1990’s for buffalo and hippo are considered (14,000 and 2,000 respectively) significant mortalities are anticipated. Hippos and buffaloes are the largest grazers with the highest biomass and impact on habitats. Other herbivores may be considered for removals in future.

The “purist” way of allowing natural attrition to take its course is not always ecologically the best especially if populations are unnaturally high due to man-made influences. It also ignores moral issues such as allowing animals to die and rot in the face of the huge protein need in neighbouring areas, as well as the still poorly understood role of pre-modern humans in keeping numbers down. The current drought is being noted for its unprecedented impact on human well-being with an estimated 22 million persons in Southern Africa in need of some assistance. SANParks cannot remain oblivious to this issue. The KNP is therefore planning to use the opportunity to sustainably harvest in the region of 350 animals during this drought in order to test different models for meat distribution to disadvantaged, low income communities on the border of the Park. The KNP will be targeting quintile primary 1 schools, part of the National School Feeding scheme, by supplementing protein in the form of game meat products. Given the Foot and Mouth Disease veterinary regulations, the Park will be testing the feasibility and suitability of cloven hoofed animals products permitted to leave the Park, which include: break-dry biltong (BRB) and well-cooked meat (WCM). A secondary objective of the removals will be assessing genetic selection for fitness during droughts and the interactions between disease and drought.
We are focusing with the removals on alleviating pressure on sensitive areas in the Park, e.g. removing hippo from small natural pools where they have concentrated in unnatural high densities, defecate in the water, making it unusable to other animals. These hippo generally originated from man-made dams that dried up and now populate small natural pools in large numbers.
True to our philosophy of adaptive management we are seriously considering the role of pre-modern humans on the ecosystem and especially keeping certain populations down or ecosystem engineering animals away from sensitive areas. We have already adjusted our veld burning policy away from purely natural fires (because for the 10 years we followed this policy more than 90% of all fires were anthropogenic and usually during very hot and dry conditions). We now follow a patch burning policy, the way the rest of Africa burns every year.

Culling, cropping, harvesting, ecological removals, sustainable resource use are all terms that have been used. If the term culling in your book means controlling the size of these populations, that is not what we are doing. The numbers are also not cast in concrete purely as it is not possible to determine how the situation will unfold as the drought further develops. However, the numbers are kept very low (between 0,5 and 1% of the respective populations). Logistically it will not be possible to do higher numbers now and ecologically it will not be suitable to do unsustainably high numbers in future. In view of the huge populations of these large herbivores and the mortalities we have already observed amongst buffalo and hippo this year, as well as the anticipated mortalities later in the year, these numbers to be removed are not significant at the population level.
It is estimated that approximately 15,000 people lived in what is now the Kruger National Park before the arrival of Europeans and the proclamation of the park. These people were pure hunter-gatherers and we greatly underestimate their role in shaping this ecosystem. We have removed this important driver from the Kruger ecosystem and we are researching ways to simulate the return of their role again. There are interesting theories such as the “landscape-of-fear” theory which showed how the reintroduction of wolfs changed the Yellowstone park ecosystem in the US positively. It would not be possible or suitable to reintroduce humans, but rather to simulate their influence in certain areas. There are currently approximately 250 registered research projects aimed at assisting us to understand this ecosystem better and we will continue to learn.

Finally, this is not a “sneaky reintroduction of culling by SANParks” as put by some. Kruger is managed according to an approved management plan that makes provision for both biodiversity management and sustainable resource use. Part of the process of drafting this plan was an intensive public consultation process. It is practically not possible to consult the public on each and every management action implemented. A new round of revisions of the KNP Management Plan has started and will come in full swing next year. You are encouraged to register with the office of the Senior Manager:

Park Planning and Co-Mangement at 013 735 4361 or marisa.coetzee@sanparks.org and take part in this process.

[Richprins]

Thanks, Twiggy!

This is a recycling of what was said in September..(my comments there), with some added bullshit now?

viewtopic.php?f=317&t=7113&start=10


The thing is, at first nature was to take its course, then dying animals were to be distributed and not wasted, now the programme will continue after drought, so which approach is to be decided upon, and which can be trusted? Not inspiring of confidence, and not scientific...now inept and political.

[H. erectus]

The Peripheral Development Zone and management there-off in full swing!!!
A very grey area set aside for rather unusual practice granted the custodian.

The thing is, at first nature was to take its course, then dying animals were to be distributed and not wasted, now the programme will continue after drought, so which approach is to be decided upon, and which can be trusted? Not inspiring of confidence, and not scientific...now inept and political.

[Richprins]

Kruger is managed according to an approved management plan that makes provision for both biodiversity management and sustainable resource use," Mabasa says.

"The 'purist' way of allowing natural attrition to take its course is not always ecologically the best especially if populations are unnaturally high due to man-made influences," which include fences, artificial waterholes, unnatural diseases, climate change and more.

"It also ignores moral issues such as allowing animals to die and rot in the face of the huge protein need in neighbouring areas, as well as the still poorly understood role of pre-modern humans in keeping numbers down.

"The current drought is being noted for its unprecedented impact on human well-being with an estimated 22 million persons in Southern Africa in need of some assistance. SANParks cannot remain oblivious to this issue," Mabasa says.

As said before by SANParks, buffalo and hippo will be culled first, where after other herbivores may also be considered for culling.

But many Kruger enthusiast say they won't be fooled by SANParks' culling scheme. Some say the public 'Information Sharing Session' mentioned by SANParks is just a facade to hold off public opinion. They demand a public meeting where all stakeholders - including visitors - can be present to voice their opinions.

Fiona 'Thistlewhite' Bogiages replied to Mabasa's statement on Facebook saying, "I do not believe you are still looking for excuses to carry on with this 'so called harvesting production line'. Even though it already began as far back as July 2016 a date has still not been set for an "Information Sharing Session". The culling has been taking place for four to five months already!"

A date for the planned Information Sharing Session is yet to be confirmed by SANParks.

Other Kruger enthusiasts commend SANParks and the Kruger for the transparent way in which the culling has been done.

SANParks insists it's not only in the culling of animals that they've had to implement change to manage the park in a sustainable manner.

"We have already adjusted our veld burning policy away from purely natural fires (because for the 10 years we followed this policy more than 90% of all fires were anthropogenic and usually during very hot and dry conditions). We now follow a patch burning policy," Mabasa says, which is safer and more controlled.

SANParks say they are considering all options to ensure the safe and sustainable management of the nearly 20 000km² park.

There are currently approximately 250 registered research projects aimed at assisting us to understand this ecosystem better and we will continue to learn, SANParks says.

http://traveller24.news24.com/Explore/G ... isapp=true

[Richprins]

Mr Mabasa was quite firm last year that nature would take its course, which is fair enough...but now it is "purist"? :


"The 'purist' way of allowing natural attrition to take its course is not always ecologically the best especially if populations are unnaturally high due to man-made influences," which include fences, artificial waterholes, unnatural diseases, climate change and more.


Earlier on the drought thread:

Oct 2015: Oor ‘n moontlike ingryping waar die damme opdroog en visse vrot, het hy gevra: “As ‘n natuurlike droogte ons natuurlike habitat tref, moet ons nou kunsmatig water in die natuurlike damme gaan staan en inpomp? Dit sal in teenstryd wees met die natuurlike aard van die wildtuin.

Nov 2015: Kruger Science Manager Smit argues that the drought plays an important role in nature and in the ecosystem, which is opposite to the crippling effect it has on farming. The drought will eliminate diseased and old animals, and leave the strong ones behind, which will then be able to survive many other setbacks.

“The drought is not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “The diseased and the old animals will die, but the cream of the crop will be able to move to an area where there will be water and survive. To us, this is just a natural regulatory process,” Smit said. (34 waterholes reopened after that)

Jan 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLnO1LGvAmg

Feb 2016: Mr William Mabasa, KNP spokesman, predicted that tens of thousands of animals would die. “For example, we have 48 000 buffaloes in the Kruger and may lose up to 28 000.”


However, he stressed that scientific research indicated that water should on no account be brought into the park to keep animals alive. He said a process of “survival of the fittest” would mean that nature selected the healthiest gene pool for survival. This would mean that surviving animals were very strong, and the reduction in numbers would help retain a balance between the number of animals in the park, and the available natural resources.

[Richprins]

Kruger meat gifts debate rages on
Meat gifts to disadvantaged communities on the border of the Kruger National Park remain a controversial matter.
about 1 hour ago

Elize Parker

SKUKUZA – An ongoing debate about the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) plan to sustainably harvest about 350 animals during the drought, continues to draw attention. This culling is aimed to test different models for meat distribution to disadvantaged low-income communities on the border of the park, and visitors to the KNP and interested parties in conservation circles are not letting go.

“A major objective of distributing meat gifts to communities is to build relationships with neighbours through sharing the benefits from a national asset. We will never be in a position where we can help all schools in need, at a scale and scope that will really supplement their feeding schemes,” said Mr William Mabasa, acting head of communications of SANParks, to Lowvelder.

According to Mabasa, the reason why the project is done at this small scale, “is about slowly building small bridges where they have not been before”.

He emphasised that the Kruger has no set model of distribution of the meat gifts as yet.

“We are learning as we go and adapting as we learn. It is important to remember that in a complex system we will never have all the answers. That is why it is very important to monitor impact in order to inform processes going forward,” Mabasa explained.

There are more than 1 362 primary and secondary schools falling within the three district municipalities that share the western boundary of the Kruger.

He commented that it is not and will not be the KNP’s intention to deliver to all of these schools.

The ones that benefited are the approximately 30 that came into the park during SA National Parks Week in September for environmental education day programmes.

Each of the five environmental education centres (Berg-en-Dal, Skukuza, Satara, Letaba and Punda) were given 450 small packets of buffalo biltong each to distribute to the pupils who came for the project.

The seven KNP community forums were asked to identify three local primary schools each to receive the biltong that remained after SANParks Week.

The KNP also uses this an opportunity to engage with the learners on conservation-related issues.

Addressing questions around the processing of the meat, Mabasa explained that the KNP abattoir was a facility which was funded by SANParks, mainly for research purposes. Carcasses are processed as and when they become available.

“It is not a business on its own and some of the meat that was processed from there, was sold to staff on a small scale,” said Mabasa. “We do not have a butchery in the park.”

The abattoir was refurbished in 2015.

One of the questions in the debate concerned the payment and application of community levies.

One per cent of tourist entrance fees goes into a fund that supports much-needed educational infrastructure in local schools close to the KNP, both in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. This includes building administration blocks and computer labs.

Dr Jeremy Anderson of Wessa Lowveld said his organisation supported the Kruger’s decision, as the number of animals involved were so low in relation to total populations, that they would not have any impact on these populations.

“We strongly support sustainable utilisation of wildlife on private and collectively owned land,” said Anderson. “In the case of publicly owned protected areas it has the potential of becoming a case of the tail wagging the dog, and should only be undertaken when done in the interest of habitat or species conservation.”

Dr Elisa Galgut from the One Web of Life programme of the South African Faith Communities Environment Institute told Lowvelder: “This initiative is a step in the wrong direction. It sees animals as a resource for humans to be exploited at will, rather as moral beings with interests that need to be protected.” Galgut is of the opinion that feeding local communities with the meat from the park’s animals is going to set a precedent. “Locals may begin to see the animals in the Kruger as a legitimate source of bush meat.”

• A new round of revisions to the KNP Management Plan has started. Here management actions and plans like meat gifts will be discussed and will come into full swing next year. Interested parties are encouraged to register with the office of the senior manager: park planning and co-management on 013-735-4361 or marisa.coetzee@sanparks.org and take part in this


http://lowvelder.co.za/365357/kruger-me ... -rages-on/

[Lisbeth]

First they are going to sell it and now they are going to give away for free

Galgut is of the opinion that feeding local communities with the meat from the park’s animals is going to set a precedent. “Locals may begin to see the animals in the Kruger as a legitimate source of bush meat.

I kind of agree on the above

[Richprins]

Ja! And I'm not sure WESSA has been quoted quite accurately?

[Richprins]

Ok, we cracked a nod to attend the public discussion at Skuks on 11 March, with RSVP by 8 March...not much time as usual!

Anybody available?


Members kindly give inputs here as to the AW questions to be asked/statements made regarding this topic!

[H. erectus]

Just wish I could throw my whole self into this,

would not be justified!!
Just too much meat on my skewer!!,
taking into account reasonable thinking.