DEAR EDITOR — Let me commend the recent decision by Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow legal stocks of ivory to be traded legally by Zimbabwe. I am glad CITES still remains unpoliticized and Zimbabwe should be able to gain from its nature.
I am, however concerned that the world feels that Zimbabwe 'needs to cull' its elephants.
That is a very debatable issue as no one has proven yet that elephants have a detrimental effect on biodiversity - a reason of their being culled.
I think by encouraging culling many governments could go overboard to decrease the elephant populations to a point where they will become an endangered species. The money coming from these legal trades is sweet and governments could easily go overboard.
I think there can never be 'too many' elephants.
Felicity Botha
Harare
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nigel • na.@zol.co.zw Subject: ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:56:55 • Felicity have you ever kept chickens in a pen? the day they are herded in there is grass and leaves. after a while the eggs hatch and more chickens but fewer grass and less leaves. more eggs hatch etc etc until eventually you have no leaves and no grass and birds with half their feathers missing scratching in the sand for a bite of elusive greenery.
Now, imagine 40,000 elephants in Hwange. that should be enough eh? but no, we had 75,000 and the boreholes had been stolen and there was drought and no waterholes and few trees left standing... so in that case after a few dozen exported to live their life out in freezing cold zoos and other neighbouring parks there were still 33000 too many... now, remember the chooks? same scenario.
You can have 5 people in a house. but 55? I dont think so. please think about it - seriously! it was their territory until the British South Africa Company invaded and decided exactly where they should be fenced in and exactly how many.
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