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Wounded jumbo sparks fury
29/06/2005 22:46 - (SA)

Elise Tempelhoff

Vanderbijlpark - Landowners of nature reserves adjoining the Kruger National Park are furious after an American big-game hunter wounded an elephant, which probably crossed over from a herd in the national park, but killed it only 24 hours later.

The wounded elephant was shot dead at Klipheuwel, one of the farms in Balule Nature Reserve.

Sybrand van der Spuy, a landowner in Balule, said on Wednesday that this kind of occurrence "sullies the name of conservation areas" in South Africa.

"This is unacceptable and proof that the authorities have completely lost control of this kind of practice in buffer zones."

Bert Howard, a nature conservation officer of the Limpopo department of economic development, the environment and tourism, confirmed that a permit to shoot the elephant had been issued to the hunter.

Two other permits to shoot elephant in the area, which were about to be issued, had been withdrawn after this incident, because of the claims of negligence.

Wounded animal fled

The elephant, which was part of a herd of about 70 animals, was shot last Thursday about 16:00 at a waterhole in the nature reserve.

The American, who was accompanied by a professional South African hunter, wounded the elephant, but did not bother to follow it and the elephant fled.

The next day, Friday, the American hunter apparently hired a helicopter to look for the elephant. The animal was traced on Friday about 15:30 and shot dead.

Hennie de Beer, a landowner in the Timbavati Nature Reserve, said incidents like these were completely destroying eco-tourism in South Africa.

He said the wounded elephant had been a potential danger to tourists in the nature reserves.

Call for a moratorium

Some of the owners said they had video recordings taken a few months ago in the Klaserie area, of an elephant which had been shot 21 times before it died.

De Beer said it was high time the government intervened and placed a moratorium on all hunting in the buffer zones until the panel appointed by Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk in April to investigate hunting in South Africa, had completed its work.

"The government will probably intervene only after an elephant or a buffalo tramples and kills an overseas tourist," he said.

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1729387,00.html

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