eleblog

“When German doctor Annelie Forbriger read about South Africa’s decision to lift a 13-year moratorium on elephant culling, she decided to canvass the support of more than 1 000 of her fellow citizens to oppose it.” - IOL

“Elephant culling at the Kruger National Park is unnecessary and not a last option, the Earth organisation said on Wednesday.” - IOL

“South Africa has lifted a 13-year ban on elephant culling, to help manage the flourishing pachyderm population.” - South Africa resumes elephant culls
>The Great Beyond

“South Africa is about to lift a 13-year ban on elephant culling, as the animal’s population rises and encroaches on areas where people live. However, it’s unclear just how many elephants might be killed after the moratorium is lifted Thursday.” - VOA News

“The government had stopped this practice in 1995 when the population of elephants was judged to be dangerously low. However now that they’re seeking to reinstate it, something has come up: expert scientists believe that elephants have cognitive capacity.” - Environmental Graffiti

“South Africa’s 13-year moratorium on elephant culling was set to be lifted on Thursday to combat a surge in population numbers, despite an outcry from animal rights activists.” - AFP

“It’s been illegal to kill the animals for the past 13 years, but since then their numbers have more than doubled from about 8,000 to 20,000.” -
CBBC Newsround

“South Africa has done such a good job of protecting its elephants that it’s now facing a population explosion. On May 1, the government is lifting a 13-year ban on killing them.” - Bloomberg.com

“As of May 1, 2008, a moratorium that was placed on the culling of elephants in 1995 will be lifted. This was one of the options in the final norms and standards for elephant management announced by environmental affairs minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk on Monday, February 25, 2008 Other options included range manipulation, removal by translocation, introduction of elephants and contraception.’ - Kruger Park News

“IUCN, through its African Elephant Specialist Group, is publishing a new report on how to control locally overabundant populations of African elephants. The report looks at the pros and cons of a range of options to manage elephants, including moving them to other natural habitats, increasing the area of land available to elephants, contraception and culling.” - Wildlife Extra

World-famous Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey has given his cautious support to the resumption of elephant culling in South Africa, declaring it “necessary” and based on “animal welfare concerns”. - IOL

“While the International Fund for Animal Welfare warns that the slaughter of elephants is funding the killing of humans, there are more traditional fears for the survival of elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli region. On Richard Leakey’s authoritative blog, one of the world’s most knowledgeable elephants experts, Cynthia Moss, reveals that 14 elephants have been speared in Amboseli since the start of the year”- IndyBlogs

“The proposed massacre of thousands of wild elephants in South Africa has sparked international outrage, yet the zoo community has been strangely silent. Zoos tout their elephant conservation efforts, yet not one U.S. zoo has joined the many respected scientists publicly opposing the large-scale killing of a species already threatened with extinction.” - News Blaze

“The eminent conservationist Richard Leakey has given qualified backing for South Africa’s plan to cull elephants.” - BBC NEWS

“It is too soon for conservationists to ring the alarm bells over South Africa’s elephant management plan that includes culling, argues Dr Richard Leakey. In this week’s Green Room, he says the measures are necessary and based in animal welfare concerns.” - BBC NEWS

“Jeffery Zuba, head veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, believes there is a way for African animal parks to preserve the environment without resorting to killing members of their resident herds. Along with colleagues at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Colorado University, Zuba has proposed using laparoscopic surgery—a minimally invasive procedure utilizing fiberoptic instruments—to permanently sterilize free-ranging elephants. ” - Popular Mechanics

“In this issue of Global voices environment, we check in with various blogs around the world. The themes are varied, and some are of global concern with commentary from Kenya about elephant culling in South Africa, commentary from Europe on “Eco-colonialism” in Botswana, Brazil, DRC, Patagonia and other countries.” - Global Voices Online