Steve

Just playing devils advocate .....

But if a bull is shot among a small herd of bulls how do you not know it is not seriously affecting the other bulls which "bug off" and are not seen again?

If the mental anguish is serious for cows, then it would not be unreasonable to assume bulls carry the same or similar issues.

Yes I do intend to read some of the references. But I think it is an attempt to put human emotions into animals.

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Anyway my thoughts are:
* trophy hunting of bulls is good for the species as it adds value to the animals in the eyes of human neighbours and hopefully their stomachs as well. This is an expensive hunting option but for those that can pay, good for them.
* selective culling of genetically inferior cows is 100% a goal especially where serious genetic inefficiencies such as tuskless occurs. I do not believe the killing of whole herds of elephant is anything of a solution to remove SPECIFIC animals and can't see any logical argument for this.
* If a herd is in serious over-population I can't see why hunting of cows is not permitted on a limited basis
* If a herd is in serious over-population a whole of herd cull approach may be the best solution in terms of recovering the economic value of the cull ie tusks, recovery of meat and skin for re-sale. I think this approach is more due to economic commercial recovery and profit making or loss reduction than any biological justification.
Also this method is likely to be the MOST CONTROVERSIAL and damaging in the general media and uninformed public and probably is one reason culls have not been happening to any great amount to the detriment to the entire elephant population.
* PAC elephants should be hunted where serious and especially if over-population is the norm, both cows and bulls, to protect local human habitants and their livelihoods.

What happens to the herd if a PAC cow ele is shot? Even if most PAC elephants shot are bulls.

I personally don't have a problem with shooting a bull or a tuskless cow, but think a wholesale slaughter of a herd is a bit sickening and would really like to be part of it. Might be interesting but doubt if one had theopportunity that slaughter would be fun whereas hunting is.