‘Managing Elephant Populations—Harvest or Birth Control? During the 1980s. uncontrolled hunting of elephants for ivory and food had reduced the African elephant, Lozodonta africana, popult- tion from 1.3 million to 650,000. In addition, expansion of agriculture into areas that had been excellent elephant habitat compounded the problem because it reduced the amount of lan available to elephants Many conservation organizations became alarmed by the rapid de- cline inthe numbers of elephants and supported a ban on the export of ivory. In 1989, the Convention on Intemational Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned all international trade in elephant products, of which ivory is the most important. The ban worked. The price of ivory fell and poaching became unprof- itable, Although the total population of elephants in Aftica continued ‘ofall to about 500,000 by the year 2000, the decline isnot true forall parts of Africa. Some southern African countries actually have expe- rienced an elephant population explosion thar threatens to destroy the limited habitat available to elephants and increasingly results in con- Hicts between farmers and elephants, ‘The Aftican elephant requires huge amounts of food (150 to 250 ‘lograms per day [330 to 350 pounds per day)) to sustain is large ‘body. The animals strip bar from trees, uproot the ees, and eat large ‘quantities of grass. Where humans and elephants share the same habi- tat, elephants can do great damage to crops. Because elephants have been increasingly confined to national parks and nature preserves by agricultural expansion, two natural options for relieving population pressure (migration or starvation) have not been available. Migration from the park results in increased agricultural damage and risk of in- jury o farmers, and increasing populations can cause irreparable dam- age fo the protected habitar they occupy as they seek food. If they are allowed to stave, there willbe enormous public pressure from wildlife ‘groups, and the park manayers will be condemned. Ifthe populations are to remain healthy, not destroy their habitat, and not come into con- ‘ict with farming communities, the sizeof the population must be con: trolled. There are only two ways fo do that—increase the death rate (calling) or decrease the birthrate (sterilization or birth control). Because they have growing elephant populations, several south- em Aftican counisies, such as Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, have argued that they should be allowed to manage their clephant populations as a natural resource in the same way that other large game animals (dee, elk, earibou) are managed. The sustainable harvest of surplus elephants would be wise use of a natural resource that would provide income to the local people as well as a much ‘needed source of protein in this region. Furthermore, che income from. harvesting elephants could be used to provide additional funding for park management. Those who oppose harvesting maintain that killing {he animals for trophies or ivory will take many older individuals ‘rom the herd. Itis well known that older elephants serve as leaders. Selectively killing older animals, therefore, could remove important memories that could disrupt traditional migration pattems and other {important behaviors nevessary to their survival Ooo In 1957, CITES approve the sale of 60 tonnes (66'S. tonshat ivory from Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe fo Japan Following the sal, conservation orgoniatons reported an increase in poaching 4 of elephants and unlawfol sale of vor In 2000, several countios agninpesitoned CITES ro approve additional sles of ivory. Tite. guest Was not approved beealse of concer about poaching and mam “orig of illegal sales Tae Humane Society ofthe United States has advocated the we of bith conrot to reduce the bitrate and solve the elephant popula. ‘ion problem: Several methods have been tested and they can work However critic of this approach suggest tat preventing female ele ants fom conceiving for long peaods of time may dissup the aor real social structure of the her Under most circumstances, a female thats pressant will not come ino heat agin for wo yeas female do not conceive. they will come ito heat approximately every 1S els, and here ll be more females in heat han i normal thew fut the year Since tbe mating activity of elephants is disruptive of their usta pattern of avy, some people are concerned that the nor ‘mal soil structure of the herd wil be isopted. Furthermore sully includes various ages of immature individuals. The Younger individuals learn from oer siblings or cousins. The use of biG trol eoulddisrop the spical spacing of pregnancies and interes wit» the normal process of=ducsting” young elephants, What loks like simple problem to solve has resulted in two diametrically opposed amps: those who advocate increased deaths by harvesting ant the who advocate decreased births by manipulating births. Netcr i “natura” bat something most be done or he survival oF elepbans ‘could be threatened.