Zimbabwe Wildlife Authority Insists On 200 Elephants Cull to Feed Drought-Ravaged Population, Preserve Ecology

ZIMBABWE National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) director general, Fulton Mangwanya has announced that culling of elephants will go ahead despite strong criticism and from some conservationists.

He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ZimParks and Defend, a wildlife protection organisation, held in Chizarira National Park in Binga Friday.

Mangwanya said he was getting pressure in form of threats and money offers to stop the imminent programme.

"You know, when you are talking of the issue of culling, there are some emotions which are actually stirred, which is nonsense," he said.

"....because if you look at the real issue, we have got a lot... a number of elephants that is actually over the ecological carrying capacity of our parks.

"We are going to cull 200 (elephants), but those that die because of climate change are even more than 200.

"So, if we count 200 and we find it's not enough, we have got every sovereign right to kill more because we have got over 85 000 elephants, almost close to 100 000.

"We are supposed to be having something like maybe around 60 000 or less, but you know, people think otherwise, but we will do what we think is best for our nation," he said.

ZimParks plans to cull 200 elephants, dry and distribute the meat to starving communities around its national parks.

Systems that will determine eligible beneficiaries are already in place according to the authority.

"We can't leave people dying of hunger when we have got overpopulation of elephants.

"Elephants which are destroying their own habitat, elephants which are destroying habitat for other animals, elephants which are causing erosion, elephants which are destroying everything and killing people.

"So indeed, we are going to count 200 elephants, and I don't think we will listen toanything because right now I'm receiving quite a lot of these reports, some are evenpledging to say we'll give you money so that you don't kill the elephants.

"The number is not sustainable, and we believe in sustainable use as a country, but because of these pushes from regional bodies ...we can't keep on watching.

"We are suffering because of the good conservation that we have done in Zimbabwe, or Southern Africa in general, and someone prescribes to say don't do this, don't do this," he noted.

Mangwanya also said it is worrying to note the increase in human-wildlife conflict.

"When people are being killed, like 60 who died last year, no one wants to mention about it, no one wants to come with contribution to say where are the children, where are the orphaned children, let's see was there a breadwinner, they don't talk about that," he said.

Trade in ivory or elephant hide is impossible due to tensions fanned by conservationists, the parks boss highlighted.

"Kill one elephant and they make noise, they even bar us from making money out of the hides to sell the hides, we are not allowed to do that. So by the end of the day, you'll find this is neo-colonialism in a way, because Zimbabwe should be allowed to do what it wants.

"Right now, we are doing it internally, we want to kill, utilise the meat, we are not exploiting, they still make noise. You send them to China, they make noise. You say we want to sell the hides; they make noise.

"You want to sell the ivory, they make noise. So, by the end of the day as a sovereign State we have to do what is good for our nation. We will not watch and see our people dying of hunger, especially those surrounding the parks where we have got these elephants.

"So indeed yes, we are going to kill 200 or even more if they don't actually suffice the need," he said.

Zimbabwe is home to over 80 000 elephants with its biggest conservancy, Hwange National Park, accommodating between 45 000 and 55 000 elephants against a carrying capacity of 15 000.

ZimParks says the elephants are too many to an extent that they are destroying their own habitat. The jumbos also move to human settlements in search of food and water, which result in human wildlife conflict.

A total of 30 people were killed by wildlife this year, with elephants accounting for 60 % of the deaths.

This article was originally published in New Zimbabwe.