DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM
DEPARTEMENT VAN OMGEWINGSAKE EN TOERISME
Ref: 02/1/5/2
MINISTER
QUESTION NO. 29 FOR WRITTEN REPLY: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
A draft reply to Mr D A Worth (DA-FS) to the above-mentioned question is
enclosed for your consideration.
Ms. Nosipho Ngcaba
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
DATE:
APPROVED/AMENDED
MINISTER
DATE:
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
(For written reply)
QUESTION NO. 29
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 7 of 2009
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 August 2009
Mr D A Worth (DA-FS) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs:
1) (a) How many elephants have been culled and (b) where have they been
culled during the period 1 January 2008 up to the latest specified
date for which information is available;
2) whether any provincial parks have finalized their elephant management
plans; if not, when is it expected they will do so; if so, which parks
have finalized their plans;
3) whether any of the elephant management plans include the culling of
elephants; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what
are the relevant details?
CW41E
MR D A WORTH (DA-FS)
SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT
HANSARD
PAPERS OFFICE
PRESS
29. THE MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ANSWERS:
(1) No elephants have been culled in any national or provincial park from
I January 2008 to date as the Department has not approved any elephant
management or culling plans and no culling can take place without
these plans being presented and approved by the Department.
(2) The Department has to date received four elephant management plans
from KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife. These include plans for iSimangaliso
Wetland Park, Ithala Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park and Hluhluwe
Imfolozi Park.
3) All four management plans from KwaZulu-Natal makes provision for
culling as a management option. A full culling plan as prescribed in
paragraph 19 of the national norms and standards for the management of
elephants in South Africa will only be presented and approved by the
Department as part of the management plan once culling has been
identified as the appropriate management option as per paragraph
6(2)(h) which states that the management plan should include a culling
plan, if and when culling is identified as an intervention in terms of
paragraph 15(1) and set out the conditions under which culling would
take place. According to the flow diagram in Annexure VI of the
national norms and standards, culling is the last option to be
considered for the control of wild elephant population sizes and
should only be used if all other management options referred to in
paragraph 15 have been rejected by an ecologist who is a recognized
elephant management specialist. The culling plan should set out the
conditions under which the culling would take place and the manner in
which the cull would be implemented. This can not be done before a
specific population or specific elephants have been identified for
culling.