I am a scientist and an university professor in animal science and ecology departments. However, I feel that I am deeply against "scientific culling", and letting "professionals" control population numbers.

Yes, I know elephants are different and a more difficult species. I also agree that inside national parks the situation is more complicated (e.g. culling elk in Yellowstone). But the Hunt (with a capital H) means so much... an animal, and particularly an elephant, should never be killed for scientific reasons or by the use of scientific means...

I understand that I am ALLOWED to hunt because of scienctif animal counts. But I love to HUNT hunt elephant not to reduce their population. It is becasue it is so humanly right to hunt them! Men and elephant should continue to face each other for reasons that have nothing to do with elephant numbers.

In the end I think it is a disgrace to the elephant that his life may be taken by a paying official, shot with automatic guns after being herded by helicopters.

Maybe even worst would be an elephant population receiving pills!!! We would reduce the meat production where elephants exist and at the same time plant wheat in Masai land (something that is happening) to replace that lost meat production!!!!

Elephant cows would be "stressed" because their would be a generation gap. The whole elephant society could be at risk. It doesn't make any sense. Moraly, ethycaly and most importantly ecologicaly to put elephants on pills or to shoot them with scientists/soldiers.

The psycological disturbance suggested by some of the books quoted by Chasseur (the onces I read) have, in my understanding, a lot of London/NewYork rich/urban cultural views which are not acceptable and don't make any sense. There is a tremendous bias there.

By not culling the national parks may be endagering dozens of species which could be totally destroyed to save individual elephants. This is the same park system that kills individual humans, to save elephants (even though they are not at risk of extintion in the Kruger).

The fact is clear: 1) the life of a poor black poacher is less then of an elephant; 2) the life of an individual elephant may be worth the forever anihilation of entire speicies.

Dante