Oppose South Africa's Plan to Kill Elephants
- van: Care2.com
- ontvanger: Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister, South Africa Ministry of Environmental Affairs & Tourism
South Africa has announced it will reverse its 1995 ban on killing elephants and resume culling of elephants in May. Elephant family groups could be rounded up by helicopters and shot from the air by marksmen.
Culling has been reinstated due to fears of elephant overpopulation in protected areas and the habitat destruction that too many elephants can cause. But this plan disregards the fact that elephants are extremely intelligent, social creatures with strong family bonds. It is well known that elephants mourn their dead, and killing large numbers of these sensitive creatures is cruel and unethical.
Please urge the South African government to continue exploring non-lethal options for dealing with growing elephant populations.
I am deeply saddened at the news that the South African government plans to reinstate elephant culls. Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals with strong family bonds, and killing of these magnificent animals will be devastating for the surviving individuals in these herds.
I urge your government to continue exploring all non-lethal means of population control and elephant management, including birth control habitat expansion through wildlife corridors and trans-boundary parks.
Thanks you for considering my comments.
