Editor’s Note: Lin Barrie sent me a link to her blog that I recommend you read (see excerpt below : “.. An Elephant in the Room..”

“I treasure elephants, their strong family bonds and wisdom are endlessly fascinating to me and to the many local and international tourists and nature lovers who relish seeing magnificent elephants in the wild, but those same elephants are harvesting precious hardwood trees and baobabs at an unsustainable rate, plus communities have to live with those same elephants raiding their subsistence crops…”

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My wife, Tina, and I have now completed 5 game counts in Hwange, since we moved to Vic Falls. It’s a pleasure we would not have been able to have been included into due to it's historical exclusivity, meaning people would come from all corners of the world, annually as part of their ’safari trip’ to assist in this event. Covid opened a window to locals being re-invited to assist due to travel constraints which brought visitor down to zero. As prestigious as it is to be involved it is also taken very seriously and numbers of mammals are recorded diligently throughout the 24-hour data capture.

For sure the mammal numbers on all accounts have risen in those five years that we have recorded, but what has been more visually evident is the absolute hammering the flora has taken on all levels. When I say ‘Hammered’ I mean apocalyptic in scale. There are more trees on the ground, pushed over and stripped, then there are standing up!. That is desperate/hungry elephant behaviour, so although this is the most awesome beast to walk our parks, it is also beginning the demise of itself….meaning these guys are absolutely unsustainable in maintaining their own food source. WWF scientist have worked out the # per km2 and have the numbers already. So it’s a case of elephants (short term) or desert and no elephants. Social Media will decide. Best Regards Michael Danes

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Editor’s Note: Sarah Savory Sent us in a very detailed response to my article on the Elephant Population that we have placed on our website: Read More.

“We discovered the answers and solutions to this and many other problems in the early 80s…  and the devastating culling of huge numbers of elephants are what lead to these discoveries being made.

I have just published an educational workbook on these exciting new management and ecological insights which offer answers and solutions to why our social, economic and environmental problems continue to escalate in spite of our best efforts to solve them, and how we can solve the issue. “

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Zimbabwe should announce to the World ..." Come and get your own elephants ... Absolutely Free of Charge ... Come and take as many as you please, preferably a whole family at a time ".  All we have to do is Dart them, crane each one onto a truck and move them, as a family, into a Boma until they have recovered from stress ...and then await the arrival of the trucks

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I am of the view that these beautiful wild animals should be accorded the 5 freedoms for animals and be left alone.

Unless of course they become a danger to human life. It is best to let nature run its course with minimal interference from humans. As an ecological system it is expected to have times of plenty and times of lack but as long as there is minimal interference the system will balance and rejuvenate itself. The problem with excessive human interference is that it invites illegal and cruel practices that will cause much harm.  Mark

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We need to protect elephants because they play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems as keystone species, promoting biodiversity by creating pathways and dispersing seeds that support various plant and animal life. Additionally, elephants hold immense cultural significance in many African societies, symbolizing strength and resilience. It is important to recognize that we do not have the right to reduce their populations, as they are integral to the ecological balance that has existed for millions of years. Instead of imposing limits, we should focus on habitat preservation and mitigating human-elephant conflicts, allowing these magnificent creatures to thrive and continue their vital role in nature.

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Save the elephants. A lot of poaching which kills many eles. Kind regards Julie.

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You have to appreciate that Ellie’s know no boundaries so many of the Ellies we consider belong to Hwange others consider as Botswana Ellies or Zambian Ellies. As Hwange now has so many solar pumps more and more Ellies visit. Fabulous for tourism but not good for the environment. Our neighbours are not keen on “culling “ I understand that.  So much as I regret the decision we have to let nature take its course, yes there will be deaths and destruction of the environment but it is not the decision of humans to dictate what the way forward is, in spite of the advance of the Introduction of solar pumps. With thanks Maureen Molam

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I am not trying to be funny, but maybe we have too many people. Ie need more land etc. Brian

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Just read your letter/Article on Elephant population and possible controls - this is a many faceted issue - unfortunately as with most things’ wildlife and landscape oriented - everyone is an ‘expert’.

Elephant overpopulation, of which we have in Zimbabwe, due to the good stewardship of our wildlife and elephants in particular, is a very real issue that unfortunately cannot simply be left to Nature, as Man has restricted the range of these mighty beasts and hence must play an active role in managing the landscape to ensure the ecosystem remains in balance and biodiversity is maintained across all resident species and flora.

Translocation is extremely expensive and difficult to undertake beyond more than a few days drive from capture to release sites (besides there are precious few countries bordering Zim that want elephant).  Contraception is also impractical when one is dealing with large geographically disbursed herds.

Culling, although an unpleasant undertaking, is very effective, and what’s more the products generated from the removed elephants can be utilized to feed impoverished communities on the borders of these areas and thus help them make the connection between wildlife protection and their own upliftment (critical in reducing poaching and Human Wildlife Conflict- HWC) whilst the other byproducts can be monetized with the proceeds being ploughed back into the very conservation initiatives that have ensured elephant success.

Wildlife and the landscapes over which we have stewardship must be managed, if not they will disappear, along with the very iconic beasts we are trying to save.  Preservation Conservation philosophies are a luxury espoused by those in the First World - In Africa we must be pragmatic and focus more readily on sustainable use conservation methodologies to ensure the continued protection of these dwindling wilderness areas.

My opinion, having worked in and being associated with this industry.  Regards Harry