Cull Or Be Culled - Zimbabwe

July 1997
Since the ban on international ivory trade, elephant numbers are outgrowing Zimbabwe's human ones.

Maines Maringisanwa's husband was recently killed by an elephant and whose crop of maize and cotton plants are repeatedly trampled on, is understandably not convinced the elephants are worth saving. Creeping through the bush, cosmetic surgeon Constantine Kitsos has a water buffalo in his sights and is hoping to bag a trophy. Most of the animals have a price on their head and at £5000 the elephant is the best. Half the money will go to the district council and half to the local community. Many consdier elephant culling necessary to sustain an environment that everyone can live off. However, Zimbabwe has 33 tonnes of elephant tusks collecting dust in a warehouse in Horare and in 20 months time under a CITES plan, two lots of tusks will be auctioned off to Japan. If this trade is not strongly regulated many fear there will be a return to widescale poaching. There have already been accusations of mismanagement thrown at Willas Makombe, Director of National Parks and Wildlife, that 10 tonnes of ivory has left Zimbabwe illegally

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Illegal
• international
• ivory
• trade
• Elephant
• Zimbabwe
• cotton
• plants
• Journeyman
• Pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
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• journeyman pictures

[LeoCannoli]

Legalized hunting is a good thing. The cost and fees of licensing cover the cost of preserving, caring, and raising the animals.

Tell a person that keeping an animal alive when it is destroying your crops and livelihood, causing your family to starve simply because "It's the right thing to do is stupid." Telling him that keeping an animal alive can feed his whole community, and he's much more likely to preserve it.

[hidethisnine]

Zimbabwe has done a pretty damned good job of controling the poachers. They can easily make a good living for the people by having controled, paid hunts, hosted by certified Professional Hunters just like the rest of Africa. Im hoping for the best for them.

[Stampeds1lent]

@ihaterobbie123

Put is this way my uncle is a ranger in Swaziland and by law he can shoot dead any poacher on who enters the reserve and has a gun even if they don't fire first, using a loophole though any hunter who enters the reserve by accident can also be shot dead, over the past few years he has shot dead 3 Americans just for crossing a boundary, no warning just shot dead, like you I see no difference and will follow in his steps killing people the legal way.

[ihaterobbie123]

@cptmuska "you know that killing these creatures is inhumane no matter what they are doing to peoples crops"

No, we don't "know" that. Please can you explain why killing another animal for survival is "inhumane".

People like you, who grew up with no shortage of food, no survival instinct, no dose of reality, can say what you like. The rest of the sane world should, can, and will continue to ignore you.

[cptmuska]

@Mako561 you sir are an example of a troll. you know that killing these creatures is inhumane no matter what they are doing to peoples crops ect... you cannot say other wise there for you re point and any further points are moot.

[Mako561]

@cptmuska If they were so smart they would know not to infringe on human habitat, that way they would not need to be culled.

[cptmuska]

makes me sick seeing people kill elephants, but I gues its not as bad as whaling lol

[cptmuska]

shot a pests... they are the smartest animal in the Savannah

[thescarlzzz529]

1.) Its not an elephant that they hunted. It was a buffalo.

2.) All of the villagers in the local area got meat that they would not have otherwise eaten.

3.) This was in no way a trophy, it was meant for the starving villagers who never get to eat meat unless a hunter comes and pays for the right to catch the animal.

[planetary109]

The one is hunting is a white, rich, doctor. What a surprise...

[MsTiberiius]

You disgusting, vile, loathsome creatures. I have no words on this video aside from wishes that the pain you inflicted on those beautiful, innocent creatures are forced upon you.. and give you no mercy. Disgusting. A 'trophy'? I am appalled.

[CatpurrRobertaBobbi]

IF and its a big if the right elephants are killed (they have family units) I think its a good idea. Money to the locals money for the elephants survival. I even understand letting them take home the ivory. Yet the thought of a wanna be cowboy who cant shoot to kill makes me want to say its not worth it.