information on African elephant population?

[spike.t]

@KMG Hunting Safaris, marius is that the one titled "Botswanas wildlife dilemma" ?

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I can't recall now Mike. He speaks about the population in Zimbabwe as well as Botswana.

 

[spike.t]

ok. the article ron emailed is from african outfitter march/april 2014. it covers everything from degradation of the bush, soils etc, and the vanishing of certain plant types to the loss of certain animal species from the massive overpopulation of elephant. it also covers the population growth of elephant ,and lack of animal management in botswana. @matt85 if you send me your email i will forward it to you along with other articles by ron.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

That's it Mike. Maybe post the article here to see. Great piece of reading.

 

[ActionBob]

Pretty sure you guys are talking about the article I was referring to. Very informative with lots of info and interesting charts. I read it on the flight home.

 

[Royal27]

That's it Mike. Maybe post the article here to see. Great piece of reading.

Yes please.

 

[spike.t]

here you go. i sent it to jerome a bit ago as ron asked me not to put it on anywhere without permission from African Outfitter magazine, so jerome asked and then put it on. also another piece by ron.

http://www.africahunting.com/threads/botswanas-wildlife-dilemma.22591/#post-191258

http://www.africahunting.com/threads/the-hunter-and-societys-conservation-ethos.10074/#post-76489

 

[Wheels]

Matt,

There is a thread here on AH (I can't find it right now. Maybe someone can help.) that says the Zimbabwe elephant population is 85-100,000. (This info is fairly current) Rhodesia said they had a carrying capacity of 46,500 elephants. I don't think Zimbabwe has ever updated this so the 46,500 number is 35+ years old. The human population has increased from apx. 7m to 14m in the last 35 years. The actual elephant carrying capacity is probably less than the 46,500 figure if you factor in the increase in human population.

The carrying capacity of Hwange NP increased from 2,500 elephants when there were no boreholes to 10,000 to apx. 17,000 as wells were added. These were Rhodesian numbers. Again, 35+ years old. The Rhodesian's weren't able to carry out the culling program very much in the 1970's due to the bush war. There are now apx. 40-50,000 elephants in the Hwange area plus more than that across the border in Botswana. A PH in the Hwange area told me that if all the elephants in Hwange were culled, they would probably be replaced within two years by a migration from Botswana.

I am going from memory on these numbers, but should be pretty close.




Botswana's elephant population is even higher.


I read something this year, (possibly here on AH) that said RSA looked into culling some of the elephant in Kruger. The greens got wind and threatened RSA with a boycott of their wine and tourism.


If something isn't done soon, Botswana and Zimbabwe are going to have a catastrophe that will make Tsavo in the 70's mild in comparison. A two or three year drought in Botswana/Zimbabwe may have dire consequences.


Any type of culling program now would bring down worldwide condemnation. The animal rights people don't understand it but they are creating a disaster.

 

[matt85]

http://www.africahunting.com/threads/managing-our-wildlife-heritage-part-one.14748/
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/managing-our-wildlife-heritage-part-two.14749/
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/managing-our-wildlife-heritage-part-three.14750/
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/managing-our-wildlife-heritage-part-four.14751/

found these.

-matthttp://www.africahunting.com/threads/managing-our-wildlife-heritage-part-four.14751/

 

[Pondoro]

For Botswana you need a culling program of massive proportion to correct matters..

That will of course never happen, as its not politically correct at all..

Ian Khamas arrogance is fauna criminality at its worst..!

 

[enysse]

Anti-hunters and animal rights....its all emotions and no common sense.

 

[Pondoro]

Brainwashed by Disney and Animal Planet they are..

 

[ActionBob]

Enormous resource if it could be managed correctly.... Even just in Zimbabwe, if that incompetent government would get their information to our incompetent government so elephant trophy imports could resume to the US... The amount of meat that could go to the locals, the income to the communities, the employment opportunities..... And the hunting opportunities we could have.... Not to mention it would do some small measure of good for the environment.... Might even help Botswana if it makes room for some of those elephants to migrate out.

In any case... I guess the anti hunters prefer elephants die a slow agonizing death from starvation and poachers snares, poison, and way in-appropriate firearms. All that misery in the name of preventing ethical hunting the contributes positively in so many ways.

Touring the elephant museum it was heart wrenching to look at and read the displays how poachers shoot elephants with AK47's... They shoot out their knees to bring them down, then drill a hole into the skull by emptying clips of 7.62x39 into them on full auto until a bullet finally penetrates the brain.

The elephant I hunted had his trunk severely severed by a poachers snare at some point in his life. I can't imagine how many years it took for that wire to rust through and fall off! Then he had a stone stuck in the one hole so he brew air out the side and sounded like Darth Vader breathing.

 

[Pondoro]

So true ActionBob....it is heartbreaking..