We have an elephant problem, one of human making.
Our success in saving elephants now means we have too many for the space we can safely keep them in.
Consequently, they’re trashing the trees essential to the ecosystems that support them.
It’s not just a South African problem, our neighbours face the same dilemma, with less space and resources.
But the prickly-pear debate on what to do has polarised into a binary choice: let elephants starve or humans should kill them in large numbers.
It’s an inevitable and unintended outcome of deciding to fence in a piece of land in the name of “conserving” elephants.
Whether it be the vast size of Kruger or the niche of Pilansberg, elephants that cannot migrate at some point outgrow their enclosed space.
But we cannot manage elephants without fences – they love crops and hate cars, and they’re not easily shooed away.
Kruger and other reserves used to cull, but lethal management was abandoned due to public pressure.
The sight of killing the entire herd, which is the best practice, simply couldn’t be sustained.
Culling had benefits in other ways, elephant meat became a neat little side hustle, an elephant in a can was a useful low-cost protein and revenue source.
And mixed into the benefit bag was that of trophy hunting, big dollars for big tusks paid for conservation efforts.
Elephants were paying their way by taking a bullet for the team.
Non-lethal solutions are aplenty, such as capture and ship the herd elsewhere.
Except elsewhere is no longer taking elephants and the cost of relocation is exorbitant.
Another solution is to open up migration routes - elephants don’t forget the paths they once walked - fence in corridors that allow elephants greater freedom of movement.
For instance, a corridor between Madikwe and Pilansberg would solve much.
But if humans already farm or mine that link, they’re disinclined to let elephants stroll on through, and the corridor idea slowly starves to death.
Contraception works, but takes years, costs a ton, and essentially kicks the can down the road.
Reducing made-for-tourism waterholes is another.
Elephants typically graze close to water sources, remove the water and the elephants move on, giving the veld breathing room until the rains return.
But removing the water while fences remain up will not stop elephants strip-bombing trees.
And ultimately starving when the leaves run out.
What to do?
Shoot them or starve them?
If you’re an influencer, you can TikTok your way to fame by placing the binary into 30-second reels, imagine the viral of capturing a cull on camera.
If you’re a conservationist, the hard truth you may tell yourself is to clean that rifle and do the dirty (but the necessary).
If you’re an animal activist you will be horrified by the prospect of humans doing their worst to creatures we share the planet with, and fight, fight, fight.
Binaries typically are won by who has the biggest gun, the biggest lever, or often by a round of who’s-your-politician.
Our human created problem isn’t elephants, it’s binaries.
Normally a coin toss only has two options, win or lose, but in the case of elephants the coin falls between the floorboards, both hold no solution.
Elephants did not choose to be fenced in; they did not choose to stop migrating.
Our tree plantations, fruit and nut orchards, crops, roads, cities and our (male) egos, made that choice for them.
Complex problems require multiplex interventions and all-of-society collaboration.
Make culling contingent on the implementation of non-lethal options, no killing until corridors are up, contraception is in place and the vegetation assessed in dry seasons.
But the truly hard nose thing to do would be to give elephants and their habitats a legal voice.
Create a constitutional principle that gives them a right to life and welfare, create an agency that argues on their behalf, and give wildlife priority in sustainable development matters.
Or accept that elephant burgers will become a drive-through option at the fast-food joint down the road.
Gary M Koekemoer, WESSA’s environmental governance committee chair
