Africa's Giant Tuskers

[Richprins]

I don't think so, 100p...let's see!

[100ponder]

Only problem is that under the current conditions a tusker can disappear for two or more years before re-emerging to a tourist road. If such a bull is never seen again he will be concidered dead with nothing to confirm. Slowly the big tusked bulls will become less and less until no big tusk elephants remain - then we will revert to celebrate having just seen an elephant. Tuskers will be the limited to Aat's TUSKERSOFAFRICA.

[Flutterby]

A scary thought 100P!

[Lisbeth]

I certainly hope that you are wrong, 100p

[100ponder]

Some of you might have seen what happened in Zimbabwe a few years ago - a decree of some sorts was made to cull some elephants in Hwangwe, several bulls with bigger tusks were killed for their meat to serve as food at some festivity. When people started comaining that Hawangwe's big tusked elephants were targeted the response was that they were the biggest in body !

[Lisbeth]

[Flutterby]

Posted on the SP FB page today:

Dear Lorinda Steenkamp
I have consulted with the relevant Kruger National Park Management authorities; there are no plans to build an additional abattoir in Shingwedzi, such allegations are untrue and can bring the organisations image to disrepute whoever is spreading this grapevine is humbly requested to stop this unethical practice.
Regards
Lesley Nyawo

[Lisbeth]

With almost everybody following a social media, it is too easy to spread the word also when it does not correspond to truth.

[100ponder]

OK, this discussion actually addressed the safe guarding of ALL elephant bulls with big tusks, not just the safety of the SANPARKS named tuskers.

The fact that no abattoir is planned for Shingwedzi is good news in the sense that it indicates that general culling will not be of such a very large scale.

Do SANPARKS have a public declaration that elephant bulls with large tusks will be excluded from the culling program ?
( By that I refer to tuskers other than the hand full of SANPARKS named tuskers.)

If such a declaration exists, can any person in possession of such information reproduce it here on this thread please ?

My concern has been heightened by the below news clip regarding ministerial lever "friendly" contact with a rhino poaching syndicate. Although I am fully aware that most, if not all, conservation staff are ethically committed - ministerial level pressure could still "sanction" harvesting of big tuskers.

See the below AFRICA WILD FB posting reproduced below :-

[Lisbeth]

What a disgrace!