Africa Wild

Twigga wrote:I can just hold my breath...and pray for much needed rain

Otherwise...no more Kruger

Unfortunately even if rains come and food is plentiful, this process is going to continue with regular harvesting reading from the media release.

The way I read it is this is going to be for an on going harvesting operation. It is 350 now as logistically they cannot do more now, and ecologically it would not be suitable to do unsustainable number in the future. ie now we can cope with 350 but in the future it could be more as long as we don't go over a sustainable number. The culling of the drought animals now is to test different mechanisms for distribution. The school feeding scheme is an ad hoc event and possibly will not happen again after this lot. So when the drought is past, they will be using animals that are not suffering through drought etc. And they're right, it is not sneaky introduction of culling but actual harvesting as they will be farming the animals for slaughter at end of the day.

Kruger responds to public outcry following drought culling announcement

2016-09-16 10:30 - Louzel Lombard

Cape Town - The Kruger National Park received a lot of flack from wildlife lovers over the past month, after announcing that a 'harvesting' programme has been put in place to "alleviate pressure on sensitive areas" within the Park.

Kruger lovers have slammed the park saying they are misusing their role as wildlife custodians, under the illusion of restoring balance within the park.

But now, SANParks has responded to the public outcry, saying the decision to cull some large herbivores was not a lightly considered one. "This is not a 'sneaky reintroduction of culling by SANParks' as put by some in their opinion," Lesley Nyawo on behalf of the Kruger National Park, says.

"Kruger National Park 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," Nyawo says. "It is practically not possible to consult the public on each and every management action implemented."

The accusation that SANParks was trying to cull animals in a cunning manner came after the Kruger released a statement saying the "drought is having an unprecedented impact on human well-being with an estimated 22 million persons in Southern Africa in need of some assistance".

With the culling, then, Kruger officials is trying to swat a few proverbial flies in one go - restore the needed balance of the sensitive ecosystem in the park, but also help feed the communities in surrounding areas.

The culling of the hippo was also deemed necessary by the Kruger in a bid to save valuable and diminishing water resources, which they said were being polluted by the hippos' poo.

Despite the park's size, it is still an enclosed and protected area, and overcrowding without aggressive predators (humans) can be damaging to the Kruger on a broader scale.

"The purest 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," SANParks says.

Regardless of the rationale behind it, members of the public are outraged by the 'harvesting', which they say will have many negative long-term effects.

William Scrooby writes on the official SANParks - Kruger National Park Facebook page that the culling is a "slap in the faces of some of the best scientific minds in the world working in Kruger. It's undoing 20 years of progress in one political sweep! Expect a mass exodus of these wonderful employees amongst all the other negative impact this "well thought through" decision will leave in its wake!"

“Custodians” who kill but officially disguise their “hook and cook” mentality by a rather poor “smoke and mirrors” justification.

We keep hearing and I keep seeing things posted on their forum about “Leave it for the specialists”

Most government run organizations are failing due to competency issues and corruption, so is there any reason why Sanparks should be any different.

Join the dots people

I wish I knew what is right and what is wrong But after having heard the lies of Sanparks, witnessed the bad management and the commercializing of the Kruger National park and the political influence of the ruling party, I tend to not trust a word of what they are saying

This event even made it into the German press which doesn't happen too often. But the way it was presented it sound just as harmless as it does when SanParks is talking about it:

The animals would have to die anyway because there is not enough grass for them to feed on. And culling buffs and hippos will ensure the survival of other grass feeding species. Plus they'll serve a good purpose by feeding the needy...

The only a tad harsher comment was, that the writer thought it to be a "cruel solution".

I think this is all part of starting ellie culling, at least I hope so, so won't moan anymore!

Ellie culling is the ultimate in sustainable utilisation, both helping communities and helping the Park...year after year almost indefinitely!

But my gut says the current hippo and buffalo meat is simply disappearing somewhere at a price, recklessly.
dup confirms the abattoir is working full-steam now, not ellies yet!

Ellie and hippo meat is "clean", few veterinary restrictions! Buffalo meat is death, not necessarily to humans as much as cattle populations.

The thing is, normally Sanparks has huge media ops when something is handed over to the community, with even the chief thief attending on occasions, never mind local dignitaries and Ministers and MECs and what not. Unusual?

If they start culling elephants (probably why government wants trading in ivory to be re-allowed) the elephant poaching will certainly rise. Already 35 elephants have been poached which is something new to Kruger

This will come back to bite SANparks........these communities next to the park will now expect to be cared for by SANparks and if they don't these people will block roads and burn tires till the government/SANparks give in to their demands ....result...more wild meat for these communities and there goes Kruger, you will battle to see Impalas when they are done

Maybe a bit exaggerated, Harry