I am so very appaled at what South Africa is starting to let wicked hunters kill their big lovely elephants. I cannot beleive this, elephants are indangered they should not hunt them. South Africa said that last monday they were going to let the hunters start hunting elephants after a 13-year ban. Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that the government was left with no choice but to start killing them as a last option to reduce environmental degradation and rising conflicts with humans. That is still no right to kill the pretty much defenceless animals. He also said “There will be no wholesale slaughter,”. South Africa has been hugely successful in protecting the elephant population which was once one the verge of extinction. Moreover, if they let the hunt of them go on then they are probally going to be close to extinction again! They say that the elephant population is growing at a rate of 5% a year which is a good thing. The big white hunter of the 1800s brought total population near extinction. In South Africa was left with only 200 elephants at the beginning of the 20th century. Now South Africa has a booming populations due to their conservation efforts, while those of east and west African nations are struggling due to largescale poaching. South Africa has about 18,000 elephants and all of southern Africa is home to 300,000 elephants; about half of all the elephants on the whole continant. Elephants can turn woodlands into grass and stubs in a matter of a few years. Atleast that is what the enviromentalists say. South Africa says that they might upset tourist that come to see the elephants which they would if they saw someone walk up a shoot an elephant right in their face. Anyway I still do not see a reason to kill the elephant, the worlds largest land mammal I might add. If they want to stop environmental degradation plant some trees.
If you would like to read more about thin visit one or both of these site
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4339457
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/25/world/main3876059.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_3876059
tim said,
March 17, 2008 @ 12:51 am
I think that it is horrible that South Africa is allowing hunters to kill elephants, but i can see the other If side. If elephants can tun woodlands to nothing but grass and stubs then they can cause other creatures to-become endangered, especially if there are over 300,000 of them. Also, elephants can be quite dangerous, i have heard stories about people and sometimes kids that have been trampled or gored by rampaging elephants. However, i still think it is bad that the Government is allowing the hunting of elephants to start again.
Brandon said,
March 18, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
Thats sad. I dont know why you would even think of killing such an awesome animal. That is pretty stupid though how they say there are to many but soon they will be compaining that there are almost none. To me, they should keep that ban going. And i also agree with you about how they are defenceless, they cant even fight back. All they can do is run. They should reconsider this soon or these elephants may just go extinct.
hunterjumpers724 said,
March 24, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
This is so dumb, I cannot believe that the people in South Africa are letting the people hunt these amazing creatures! It’s ridiculous, I can’t even imagine a world without elephants. I feel bad for any animal that is hunted or hurt. I understand that people have to get rid of some so that they don’t over-populate, but it doesn’t seem to me that the elephants are doing that, since they are endangered species. Any kind of hunting is just getting way too out of control.
floppyears57 said,
March 26, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
THIS IS TERRIBLE!! I love elephants! I knew they had a ban and where raising elephants, but now that the ban is gone, the elephants will all be killed! Someone needs to do something, such as an elephant farm or something like that. Elephants need to be left alone by the vultures who kill them.