Mawana Elephant Herd
- LionExpose
- Mar 31, 2024
- 19 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Mawana Elephant Herd Faces Full Slaughter
17 Feb 2024
"Ezemvelo has not issued any destruction permits regarding the Mawana elephants. Discussions are ongoing between Ezemvelo, the executor and the local affected communities"
Mass Cull Averted in Zululand
On the 4th June 2023, The Daily Maverick published an investigation by @LionExpose culminating in a mass cull that was averted at Mawana Game Reserve in the Thaka Valley, Zululand, KZN—but only after hundreds of animals were slaughtered.
We saw the destruction permit which was to clear the whole Reserve, and that would have been close to 3600 head of game.
Elephant Cull Threat Emerges
On the day of this cull an informant told @LionExpose that a separate permit to cull the herd of elephants would also be applied for and could be issued in the future.
The herd is estimated to be between 34 and 45 elephant.
Crop Damage and Rising Tensions with Communities
Fast forward to November 2023, and during this time of year the herd of elephants, including young calves, often strayed close to community farms. Various complaints about the elephants raiding the mielie crops and damaging irrigation pipes were coming in weekly.
Some local people assisted at times to herd the elephants away, with planes and helicopters.
Permit Request Sparks Outrage
On 31st January 2024, Directors of Mawana had meetings planned with communities and a member of Ezemvelo, however a message received by Mr Dennis Mkhabela of Ezemvelo was that this meeting is postponed as it is being handled at National Level.
The shocking news this week was that a permit to destruct the elephants had been applied for by the same person who applied for the culling of the game in May 2023.
Mawana Game Reserve and Ongoing Mismanagement
This latest event is the culmination of ongoing issues since 2018 with Mawana Game Reserve’s lack of compliance for the keeping of African Elephants, NO funding for its elephants, NO management plans, and the continued use of these elephants by a conservation project called #Loziba, along with #CWCAfrica, #RewildingAfricaCIC, and #AfricanConservancies.
They plead for donor funding to save the elephants?
Millions Raised, But Where Did It Go?
They refer to this herd of elephants as their own?
The project is rumored to have raised millions of rands, but here we are today at this reality—that the funds raised were not used to help save the elephants or secure and protect the communities and their crops?
Accountability and Oversight Questions
Who polices these fundraising companies working on conservation projects and how they allocate funds?
#TheHumanElephantFoundation, which supposedly works in the KZN area, has supported the land developers at Loziba but not helped mitigate issues related to the Mawana Elephants or these communities.
Failed Interventions and Poor Monitoring
During the ten months since the article was published about the cull, HSI/Africa said they provided contraception to the female elephants. We have been unable to verify this.
Of the original collars fitted on five of the elephants—which are used for positioning—only two remain intact, and no funds have been offered to recollar. (One collared bull was gunned down in 2022.)
Urgent Solutions Needed for the Mawana Elephant Herd
So what can be done?
A fence along community farm boundaries is the first logical step to appease and secure the affected communities, and a better early warning system, along with a sound Elephant Management Plan.
A Cry for Help Amid Global Inaction
Despite all this global attention since the cull, NO organisation has stepped in to assist Mawana directly, other than the contraception which we have been unable to verify.
The situation is dire.
Ezemvelo are now sitting with a highly complex issue.
The Cost of Inaction
This is not sustainable—a never-ending circle of “when will the elephants be killed?” “What if someone gets injured or killed in the community?”
Imagine...
IMAGINE.
We simply cannot stand by.
There is so much money being "thrown" into conservation organisations that raise funds by saying they are Saving Elephants.
LionExpose Calls for Urgent Support
@LionExpose requests any conservation organisations who can urgently assist to reach out to Mawana Game Reserve directly.
©LionExpose
MAWANA ELEPHANTS!
14 DAYS TO SAVE THE ELEPHANTS!
31 March 2024
African elephants were purchased from Sabie and Phinda originally by the father of the current owners, one of the purposes being for Hunting. The elephants broke out of Mawana around 2016 after six bulls where hunted and killed by Hunters on Mawana (over a few years).
(EMP)
The persecuted herd never returned to this specific area where members of their family were gunned down, and the herd managed to find safe areas and establish a little migratory path since around 2018, and according to Mawana, landowners of some farms had consented to allow the elephants to roam there.
Cattle are also on these farms the space is SHARED?
In recent efforts to get urgent assistance and desperate calls here on Social Media and X, many letters to organizations, along with detailed discussions with several people, we held up hope. According to the info (further down) from EKZN, they also failed to get help!
Yesterday's community meeting culminated in the community baying for the Blood of the Van Der Walts, who were present at the meeting, and members of the Loziba Proposed Wildlife Reserve. Communities were war-chanting, saying they would start killing the elephants themselves.
Suggestions to engage communities with bee-proof fences were suggested in 2022, this would also have raised research opportunities.
NOT done.
Suggestions of rotating Elephant Wardens with communication devices could have created an effective warning system.
NOT done.
Recollaring of at least three more elephants. No funds were raised..
NOT done..
Strategically placed elephant-proof fences, along the community lands where the elephants roam on their migratory route.
NOT done.
IMPORTANT NOTES about this statement from EKZN are after this -
31/03/2024
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) has issued Mawana Game Reserve with a 14-day final compliance notice following Mawanas failure to maintain the game reserve according to the approved Management Plan.
Recently, there has been an outcry from various community members expressing their fears of the elephants that roam around their areas, with MGR seemingly doing nothing to chase their elephants back to MGR.
The fence is almost non-existent, and it was a miracle that nobody had been hurt until Friday the 22nd March 2024 when an elephant critically injured Mr Buthelezi.
Mr Buthelezi was herding his cattle when, around 1400 on Friday, he came across a herd of elephants.
The herd of elephants seemed irritated and made noise, indicating their irritation.
Within a twinkle of an eye, a bull elephant sprinted towards him and lifted him up and down. Quickly thinking, Mr Buthelezi realized that running was no longer an option. He pretended to be dead as the bull elephant continued to kick him around.
When the herd of elephants moved away, Mr Buthelezi crawled up the hill and called for help. Unfortunately, no help came until Saturday, the 23rd March 2023, when another Herdsman who was looking for his cattle spotted him and called for assistance. Mr Buthelezi was rushed to the hospital, where he was admitted.
"Following this unfortunate incident, Ezemvelo has resolved to issue the MGR with a 14-day compliance notice in which some activities have to be undertaken to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
If the MGR fails to comply, Ezemvelo will be left with no other option but to explore all possible management options to ensure that conservation doesn't compromise human life. Such methods may involve the permanent removal of elephants in accordance with the provisions of the law. " Commented Mr Joe Phadima who is the head of Scientific Services at Ezemvelo.
He concluded by noting that, "This decision is taken against a backdrop of previous attempts to find alternative land to translocate elephants, including making a public call for assistance to NO avail. It is worth mentioning that elephant management in South Africa is an issue that is increasingly reaching CRISIS proportion with no known available range land for Elephants."
Before this incident, Ezemvelo had already taken several actions against MGR. These included issuing pre-compliance notices, compliance notices, and directives to hold the owners of the elephants to account. Unfortunately, Ezemvelo's attempts have been frustrated by a protracted estate ownership dispute, which has complicated attempts to act swiftly. It is also worth mentioning that at the time that this unfortunate incident happened, Ezemvelo had been in close discussions and consultation with different stakeholders, including Mawana Trustees, NGO's in the area, the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and the community leaders about exploring available options to deal decisively with the elephant issues in the area.
During the 14-day notice period, Ezemvelo's Conservation Officers will intensify their community outreach programs, advising the local communities on how to behave when faced with a herd of elephants to reduce the likelihood of being attacked.
Ezemvelo has also extended its appeal to NGO's, who might have other alternative urgent solutions to contact Ezemvelo within 14 days of the compliance directive issued to the trustees/owners.
Meanwhile, the community meeting held yesterday, 30 March 2024 highlighted a pressing concern regarding
the presence of elephants on the community land.
The meeting was also attended by the Mawana Game Reserve representatives who repeatedly pleaded their lack of resources in removing elephants. Their pleas did not sit well with the local community which was resolute for the immediate swift action to remove elephants.
END....
Notes
Offers to translocate Mawanas elephants where derailed by dealing with third parties in 2018/2019.
There are also young calves being nursed by their Mothers.
Will the screams of elephants be heard?
EXPLOITER CAPITALISTS should be held accountable along with Mawana.
Names of members of the so-called Loziba Wildlife Reserve were repeatedly shouted out by the community and accused of making false promises over the last four years, and tactics to attempt to get the community involved in a project called Loziba Reserve.
Members of some communities said they had chased a Loziba founding member, a businessman and conservationist, away from their village when he had called there.
Mawana themselves had not been involved in the alleged MILLIONS raised but lack of effective ground management is a major contributing factor.
These communities want NO Elephants on their land and NO "Proposed" Wildlife Reserve that wants to make use of their land, and they don't want to sign management of their land to various companies.
NOTES:
The elephant that injured Mr Buthelezi had not been identified as male or female.
Did Ezemvelo address the ever mushrooming Cattle herds that are invading farms, and the fences removed for these cattle, this must be noted as a MAJOR contributing factor to the recent elephant conflict ALONG with "unpermitted" low flying over the herd...
These elephants have been on the same migratory pattern since 2018.
LionExpose had made recent attempts to get more media attention to this intensifying situation but was unsuccessful.
Thanks go to various real conservationists who took many hours to try and assist at the 13th hour.
Sadly these elephants look set to pay with their lives, for greed, EXPLOITATION, ineffectual action and complete human failure.
These are links of the various companies who used Mawanas elephants to attract investors.
They are all interlinked..
Previous info regarding Mawana Elephant herd:
Copyright @LionExpose
Global March for Elephants and Rhinos
MAWANA ELEPHANTS!
KZN Zululand
6 May 2024
Communities have not been given any permanent solution regarding the free-roaming herd. The notice of non-compliance issued on Mawana Private Game Reserve expired on the 2nd of April 2024 and none of the compliance issues were met in the time frames provided.
Ezemvelo KZN issued a public statement on the 31st March 2024 and included in this statement, Ezemvelo urged organizations to make contact with them regarding the herd.
Ezemvelos Mr Joe Phadima stated, "This decision is taken against a backdrop of previous attempts to find an alternative land to translocate elephants, including a public call for assistance to NO avail"
Ezemvelo also extended its appeal to NGO's to contact Ezemvelo within 14 days of the compliance directive being issued.
On the 29th April, in a major effort to finally lockdown proposals, Ezemvelo gave an opportunity to "some" stakeholders who had shown interest to assist regarding the critical issue of the free-roaming #MawanaElephants.
Local elephant NGO's/NPO's, a land developer, and an independent Ecologist took part in a digital meeting to discuss a NON-lethal solution to the ongoing critical situation of the free-roaming elephant.
A deadline was set for each to present a proposal along with time frames so that EKZN can relay this to the affected communities and hope to achieve a non-lethal compromise.
(Other offers might have been presented outside of this meeting)
One of the “proposals" would be to possibly utilize short-term emergency fencing on the routes the elephants take - challenging - due to these areas not all being adjacent and must have the unanimous approval of all these communities, and private farms. The temporary fencing would have to be constructed according to strict specifications for the keeping of African Elephants.
Surely the best short-term emergency solution would have been to assist #MawanaGameReserve to become compliant?
That would be to re-fence Mawanas already existing 10,000 hectares, along their existing boundary lines, and herd the elephants back into Mawana, ensuring a continual supply of water and an assisted feeding program.
Elephants are held like this for many months before translocations so why has this not been offered? It seems the only viable solution and would require all parties to pool their financial resources together for the safety of the communities and to ensure the survival of the Elephants!
The feeding and logistics should be controlled by Mega Fauna Specialists. Perhaps during this time a new home will be secured for the herd or more land can be added/utilized as communities would see immediate action and therefore this could finally secure the Elephants...
It pains us that we keep writing, a "never-ending" cycle, almost a year after the Daily Maverick article in June 2023, and the 2018/2019 saga when a translocation offer was derailed.
This dice is rolling so close -its astounding.
LionExpose wants to acknowledge the Community Conservation Officers from Ezemvelo who conducted "Elephant Awareness Campaigns" in four of the local schools where children from the surrounding communities are educated. It was undertaken to help educate children in the schools about the ways of the Elephant. To see wild Elephants in a more understanding light. The campaign's key points were to address how to control and manage the impacts posed by Elephants and their role in our culture and economy. The need to conserve Elephants for the future as part of our heritage.
Well done to the teams! #Ezemvelo
#MawanaGameReserve's manager was actively visiting and communicating with some of the communities. (This includes the community which is home to young Mr Lungelo Buthelezi, who on the 22nd of March, was severely injured by an elephant when he collected his cattle from the forests of a private farm, surprising the elephants who were settling for the night.
His quick thinking kept him alive.) #MawanaGameReserve's manager visited several other community farms, examined fences, and heard their concerns. He is continuing these efforts every week.
NOTES:
Certain crops like Mielies are attracting the elephants so increasing conflict. Deterrents over the last eight years should have been provided.
Lionexpose spent time discussing Bee Fences during May 2022, we had gone to see these fences being utilized at Skukuza Airport as a temporary measure while planning the new airport boundaries. Sanparks eagerly shared the information and we contacted the Bee fencing company.
We proposed this project to members of the development company
#loziba PTY LTD in May 2022.
A summary of ideas to help with short-term mitigation was suggested from researching information from around Africa and we formalized these suggestions in a summary to EKZN on the 24th of April and hope these are in the process of being implemented by the NGO's and NPO's along with the land developers and investors as an IMMEDIATE emergency mitigation measure.
These included:
Satellite Radios: For each community and farm affected by the free-roaming Mawana herd.
Elephant Rangers to be deployed to areas.
Elephant warning signs: Erected in hotspot areas and along trees or fences of those farms where the cattle herders graze and as a general warning in the area.
Printed information leaflets for schools, local clinics and shops.
Bee fences which can later be harvested along with the chili fences. (See images below). The prominent NGO, Save the Elephants have generously made all these plans along with studies, freely available.
Vitally, an emergency plan of action to be formalized and made available, legally, to all affected parties.
It is understood shortly a statement will be made by Ezemvelo regarding the issues of non-compliance.
Let’s hope all the NGOs NPOs and private individuals are submitting final plans in the next forty-eight hours.
We believe that Ezemvelo themselves have gone to great lengths to ask for organizations to step up and offer non-lethal solutions.
VITAL:
YOU must understand that Elephants are always in danger of conflict, some weeks they are deep in the forests on the mountains, and then suddenly their route, changes...
And that overwhelming feeling of absolute dread and despair...
These elephants, their lives, and the safety of the communities are dependent on where the Elephants roam in their quest for food and water and a peaceful forest to sleep in, protecting their families, and some of their very young calves...
©LionExpose
18th May 2024 https://x.com/ExposeLion/status/1791917109557055546
31st March 2024
17th February 2024 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/98tVUWJYfrTyxF59/
#Elephant Crisis Fund
9 Elephants gunned down!!
1 September 2024
It's confirmed at least nine of The MAWANA Elephants - Loziba free roaming elephants were gunned down, including 4 pregnant cows and calves.
The slaughter took place on Saturday 31st August on one of the farms in Thaka Valley, while the Elephants were grazing.
The other elephants witnessed the slaughter from 900 meters away...
The carcasses of mothers, with dead calf some distance away, also shows the calves tried to flee as small as they where.
The pregnant Mothers, dead, with their unborn...
Two Cruisers and a helicopter were involved. They removed the tails and ivory.
Some of the Mawana Elephants had been shot multiple times.
One calf was shot through the ear.
This is the result of, Global inaction, crucially, the Elephant NGOS and NPOs involved in this issue, and the land developers, the previous owners who were not assisted, all who failed to take well publicized dire warnings seriously.
Several investor platforms have used the elephants as part of their fundraising and land plans - Loziba, Rewilding Africa, Human Elephant Foundation.
But failed to mitigate conflict, assist communities, fix/erect fences on community farms, and provide protection to the Elephants...
Diabolical.
The surviving #elephants are severely traumatised and possibly some small calves might have escaped.
As so it begins.
End of the game...
Global Elephant Organizations raise Millions of Dollars each year.
Please share - thank you to IOL News for reporting on our call for action!
©️LionExpose
UPDATES and some background: Scrol 😢
Khethukuthula Xulu of The Witness: 6 Sept 2024
"On Saturday, Ezemvelo informed Grant Fowlds. 👎🏼
Neglected elephant warning signs signal growing tensions in KZN Mawana Valley https://www.iol.co.za/.../neglected-elephant-warning...
Read it her 👎🏼
Global Elephant Organizations raise Millions of Dollars each year.
©️LionExpose
PressReader.com | Ezemvelo takes action against game park https://www.pressreader.com/.../20240405/281556590843341
Loziba – African Wilderness reclaiming https://www.loziba.com/
About us – REWILDING AFRICA https://rewildingafrica.org.uk/about-us/
CODE RED
24 Oct 2024
Media Statement
For Immediate Release
24 October 2024
EZEMVELO KZN WILDLIFE (EZEMVELO) ISSUES URGENT CALL FOR NON-LETHAL SOLUTIONS TO MANAGE ROAMING ELEPHANTS THREATENING KWA CEZA AREAS.
Ezemvelo has responded to an urgent outcry from the kwaMpumpula community regarding a dangerous situation involving elephants that escaped from a privately owned game reserve.
On Tuesday evening, 22 October 2024, several KwaMpumpula area families were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge with relatives, while others stayed on high alert, fearing an imminent attack.
The situation escalated again on Wednesday night, 23 October 2024 when a herd of elephants entered Esidakaneni area under Inkosi Ndebele, causing further distress to the community.
Ezemvelo has deployed officials to monitor the situation on the ground and ensure the safety of residents while efforts are made to address the crisis. The elephants are estimated to be around 30 in number.
Following the recent media outcry about the destruction of nine elephants near Mawana Private Game Reserve, Ezemvelo is urgently appealing to all NGOs and individuals to provide non-lethal solutions for safely removing the elephants from the area. Anyone able to assist must contact:
Vuyiswa Radebe
For enquiries, you can contact Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Communications Manager.
Musa Mntambo Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: Communications Manager
Tel: +27 (0) 33 845 1743
Cell: +27 (0) 83 284 9586
Email: mntambom@kznwildlife.com
MAWANA ELEPHANTS!
13 Dec 2024
"The phenomenon of ‘refugee elephants’ fleeing areas they perceive to be dangerous is well documented across Africa…"
LionExpose will be breaking down the continuing complex saga of the persecuted herd and the communities who have been forced to live amongst the Elephants. We will go back to the Ulundi meeting and move forward over the next few weeks.
On the 19th of November, Ezemvelo hosted an exhaustive "round table" discussion in Ulundi, KZN. The meeting was attended by several Ndunas representing communities affected by the Elephants, Mawana Game Reserve, LionExpose, Reserve planner Grant, his partner, and two NGO’s. A separate follow-up media meeting was held on the 11th of December via Teams, which gave details of the "round table" meeting and allowed a Q and A session for interested local journalists enabling all enquiries into one session. Hopefully, this strategy avoids misinformation and speculation being reported, as was prolific, following the tragic killing of nine of the herd on the 31st August...but more about that in weeks to come as things progress.
In late October the Kwa Ceza Conflicts broke out as the Elephants where roaming in the area, a media statement asking for assistance saw the herd being pushed humanely with a drone, brilliantly piloted by a local Vryheid resident. A day later a helicopter came in and "pushed" the Elephants again. Footage showed young elephants, and the herd moved off about a kilometre away but not into any fenced area.
We asked is this going to be a regular occurrence and how humane is this?
Ian Redmond OBE kindly answered some questions, and this report was used during the discussions in Ulundi regarding the welfare and stress the surviving Elephants must surely be suffering.
LE: "How sustainable is this herding and to keep doing this and what is the effect on the already traumatized Elephants?
IR: Using a helicopter to herd elephants is effective because it frightens them and can be used to drive them in the desired direction. The drawback is that it leaves them in a state of panic, potentially leading to accidents and putting any people who encounter them soon afterwards at greater risk. Other less intrusive methods such as drones that sound like bees would be preferable and much less expensive.
LE: Do the Elephants not associate the helicopter noise with the recent slaughter of part of their family?
IR: Using the same helicopters and/or vehicles for herding and culling will clearly confuse and terrify the elephants, exacerbating the risk of panic-induced accidents and attacks on humans encountered while in that state of terror. I know from personal experience that elephants who misunderstand the sounds or actions of well-intentioned humans might be triggered into attacking the nearest humans they can access.
LE: The area is extremely dry and water is the major issue as the elephants are sharing the water with blossoming rural communities and around five thousand cattle. There are two key water holes that are safe and out of “conflict” but they are dry until rains come. Should this not be a priority mitigation factor to fill these key waterholes?
IR: Elephants will quickly respond to the presence of safe, reliable water sources. Provision of such water holes might act to attract them to where they can meet their needs, obviating the need for herding – better to induce them with what they need rather than terrifying them to drive them in the desired direction.
LE: One of these waterholes was historically favoured by the elephants and they now pass it by -which is clear by their tracks and spoor – the elephants are crossing a road through a hostile area in a literal line over a private farm to another water source on a river. Would the Elephants not move away from this dangerous terrain and reuse the waterhole if it were filled - as it is also on the same route?
IR: Yes, it is well known that elephants differentiate between areas they perceive or know to be dangerous and areas they feel safe, naturally they prefer to spend time where they are safe. Much of this geographical knowledge is cultural, learned during the long period of maternal dependency, so mothers will teach their young and a sustainable solution will emerge once a clear plan has been developed and they experience consistent availability of water.
LE: The farm on this water point has dogs and on weekends bush poachers and rural residents use it -suddenly since August it is busy being developed for soybean farming and the soy area is on this route. The farmer developing the Soy said he will put up fences, but only normal border fences... With water being scarce but plentiful here, again, shouldn’t this make filling the historic safe waterholes an urgent endeavour for the thirsty herd?
IR: Yes. Developing agriculture in an elephant pathway is unwise. Electric fences might well keep the elephants out of the crops, but must allow migratory pathways to allow the elephants to follow their traditional routes, otherwise, problems will ensue. Bushmeat hunters, even if not hunting elephants, cause them stress and – if laying snares – injuries to trunks/feet that can maim or cause death. Injured elephants suffering pain are more likely to attack people they encounter even if not posing a threat.
LE: The Elephants might be trying to look for ways out of the whole area as well. Ground observations and through our "bush telegraph" in May this year it was clear the Elephants were moving to areas that they historically have never been into and seemed to be testing out some routes. Is this a behaviour that could be the results of stress and an inherent sense of danger?
IR: Yes. The phenomenon of ‘refugee elephants’ fleeing areas they perceive to be dangerous (such as war zones or intense poaching) is well documented across Africa.
LE: In June they hid out for a few weeks at an *Undisclosed area* near Mawana in dense bush but also on an area not used historically. A safe space. There are very young calves in the remaining herd and the Elephants seem desperate to protect them. Over a few weeks they appeared close to other communities to drink from rivers and the same kind citizen used a drone to herd them! Better than a helicopter. With this evidence they might be hungry and thirsty.
IR: Agreed. Please thank the chap who used a drone!
LE: Big question is the effects on the elephants with interference to push them now seemingly occurring more regularly. The area where they were herded from two weeks back is quite a distance from this latest area BUT is also an area they have been able to roam in for over ten years. The elephants are being squeezed out of historical areas. Does this not make the waterholes that are safe a major urgency and key mitigation factor to address the conflict?
IR: Yes. Create a safe place with sufficient access to water and food plants.
LE: Is all this pushing with no destination impacting the elephants?
IR: Yes, it will cause confusion and fear. Stressed animals are more dangerous.
LE: MGR offered the government the use of their 10,000 hectares as a temporary solution and there are professional game capture people who had worked with these elephants back in 2017 and who could work out a way to herd them into Mawana. If those waterholes were filled and strategic feed drops to attract (range manipulation) the elephants were actioned, along with fence repairs, Geo-fencing AND ground crew monitoring the elephants and (no other options) could this be a possibility as a last-ditch effort?
IR: Makes sense – elephants are an asset, human-elephant coexistence depends on good land-use planning taking into account and considering the needs of all parties, including the elephants. (Some farmers might allow snippets of their land to be added to some of the borders of MGR.)
LE: Once the Elephants are contained an Elephant Management Plan could be re-drafted. These Elephants have in the past been denied more help due to NGOs originally claiming they are privately owned but they are in fact Res Nullius and have been free roaming since 2016. In your opinion do you think more should have been offered to protect communities and the elephants by NGOs who claim to work in HEC?
IR: Yes. And see previous.
LE: Or is it governments responsibility?
IR: Governments set the legislative framework but making this a success requires all parties to collaborate under a jointly agreed plan.
LE: Heading up to Christmas and the crop season leaving the elephants roaming is not sustainable have you any advice or an opinion.
IR: Indeed, and big holidays are often associated with increase in bushmeat hunting for sale or family feasts, which will further stress the elephants.
LE: Immunocontraceptives were given to Elephants allegedly in 2021, but 2022 was missed and then again in September 2023 - but not again so far in 2024 due to all this infighting and no one being sure of who is who!
IR: Given the recent reduction in elephant numbers, the question of fertility regulation should be revisited as part of the overall management plan. It might not be necessary in the short term. The area available and the quality of vegetation will determine the carrying capacity – which could increase if neighbouring landowners open up more habitat to them if the project is commercially successful. Presumably, this is a breeding herd which bodes well for a self-sustaining population if sustainably managed."
LE refers LionExpose
IR refers Ian Redmond
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