Animal Rights Africa woedend over plannen olifanten in Z-Afrika af te maken - Dieren zouden bedreiging zijn voor wildparken.....

Plan to kill elephants stirs outrage

08-03-2010 By NKOSANA LEKOTJOLO, Times Live, South Africa


Animal Rights Africa and the DA have lambasted a top official in the department of environmental affairs for suggesting that culling some of the country's elephants was "inevitable".

Fundisile Mketeni, the department's deputy director-general for biodiversity and conservation, told parliament's portfolio committee on environmental affairs last week that the growing elephant population was a threat to national parks.

"The department received a report showing that the elephants were impacting negatively on plants, insects and water. It seemed inevitable that culling would become normal practice in South Africa," he said.

He said the department had not made a decision on culling and was waiting for submissions from the national parks. He was responding to DA MP Gareth Morgan's question in parliament two weeks ago about when the department would come to a decision.

Animal Rights Africa spokesman Steve Smit called Mketeni "ignorant" for considering elephant culling.

"The pronouncement on culling the elephants is premature, particularly because there is no clear data that shows culling is the best way to go. It's been proved all over the world that culling of elephants is the most cruel and unsuccessful way of managing an elephant population."

(Bron: http://www.timeslive.co.za/)