Officials spark backlash with shocking rule change on elephant hunting: 'We are alarmed'

A local government in South Africa has said that its elephant population has become too large, but its plan to reduce numbers has drawn sharp criticism.

What's happening?

Mongabay reports that the North West Parks and Tourism Board, which oversees the 185,000-acre Madikwe Game Reserve in northern South Africa, has approved a plan to allow culling and trophy hunting of elephants.

Board members told Mongabay the decision is necessary to help reduce elephant overpopulation in the area. Madikwe has a planned capacity of 500 elephants, but more than 1,600 currently live there.

Animal rights groups, however, say slaughtering and hunting these majestic animals isn't the only option.

"While we appreciate the Board's candour and its willingness to accept responsibility for the current situation, we are alarmed by the framing and normalisation of lethal reduction as both viable strategy and economic opportunity," the South African NSPCA wrote.

Critics also blasted the plan as a cash grab, as the average cost to hunt an African elephant is over $26,000. Board members have said that any revenue earned from hunting would go back into the reserve.

Why is this important?

Although elephant overpopulation can be a real problem, managing that via slaughter and hunting brings up plenty of concerns of its own.

Earlier this year, Zimbabwean officials came under fire for a similar plan, with advocacy groups saying that culling elephants would harm the region's biodiversity and tourism image.

Culling isn't the only threat to elephants across Africa, however. Severe droughts in recent years have proved to be deadly for many animals across the continent. Specifically in Zimbabwe, more than 160 elephants died because of drought conditions.

What's being done to protect elephants?

The NSPCA and other groups have suggested other options for reducing elephant populations in the Madikwe.

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Officials from Humane World for Animals told Mongabay they have repeatedly offered to introduce contraception to the region's elephants, but those efforts have been postponed since 2020.

"Elephants are sentient, intelligent beings with intricate social structures and emotional lives," the NSPCA wrote. "Any policy that positions the culling or hunting of elephants as the most 'realistic' course of action must be rigorously questioned, not only in terms of conservation science but with regard to its ethical underpinnings."

Board members said they are open to both contraception and to relocating elephants to other conservation areas.

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