DDouble,

You make some good points - but I should say my comment about scientists was meant to be a little tongue in cheek......

Actually, I have a very good friend who's a scientist - and I'd trust him with my life!.....

However, I can't agree with your comment " It is wrong from the African culture and moral point of view". - (why?) I've seen a fair amount of Elephants that have survived culls and I've never seen one that isn't at the very least a little "disturbed". - They never seem to recover from the experience. I'm the last person in the world to want to allocate human emotions to animals but there is no doubt in my mind that they remember the experience. In fact, I'll go even further. I know of females that have been split from their family unit during translocation (half translocated and half left in the old area) and they are still loopy 10 + years after the experience............. Which is why I believe only entire family units should be taken out as part of the culling process. - Incidentally, I also have experience of an abandoned calf that somehow managed to survive on it's own - and that also is a very "odd" Elephant........... and sooner or later (IMO) will have to be shot.