Conservation Group Condemns Elephant Culling as 'Commercial Slaughter in Disguise' https://www.263chat.com/conservation-group-condemns-elephant-culling-as-commercial-slaughter-in-disguise/ Local conservation and governance advocacy group the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has condemned plans by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to cull 50 elephants in the Save Valley Conservancy, branding it a "misleading and unethical" approach to conservation. The ZimParks argues the exercise is necessary to address overpopulation — citing a carrying capacity of 800 elephants versus the current estimated 2,550 — CNRG calls the culling a violent and outdated tactic. “Culling is a short-term fix that traumatizes elephant families and ignores deeper ecological and social realities,” the organisation said in a statement. The group warned that such actions risk damaging the country’s vital tourism industry, which contributes over US$433 million annually to the national economy. “Elephants are not surplus biomass to be disposed of for convenience. They are sentient beings, ecological engineers, and national treasures,” the statement read. CNRG expressed alarm at what it sees as the quiet commodification of the process, raising concerns that the meat distribution to communities could be a cover for building ivory stockpiles amid the country’s ongoing lobbying to reopen international ivory trade. The organisation is urging the government to invest in humane, science-based alternatives — including wildlife contraception, ecological corridors and greater community involvement. “Conservation rooted in justice must replace militarized and extractive governance models that exclude local voices,” CNRG said. The move, CNRG said marks a stark policy reversal in which it says Zimbabwe and South Africa halted elephant culls in the 1990s following global condemnation of their cruelty. Now, critics fear history is repeating itself under the guise of management. CNRG has called on ZimParks to immediately halt the planned cull and convene a transparent, multi-stakeholder dialogue on sustainable elephant conservation. “True conservation does not wear the mask of profit. It protects the future — not just of wildlife, but of the people who live alongside them.” said the group