Short Communication

Non-lethal elephant population control methods: Summary of the first workshop of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group of South Africa

Marion E. Garaï, Lucy A. Bates, Henk Bertschinger, Audrey Delsink, Yolanda Pretorius, Jeanetta Selier, Heike R. Zitzer
Bothalia | Vol 48, No 2 | a2357 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v48i2.2357 | © 2018 Marion Garaï, Lucy A. Bates, Henk Bertschinger, Audrey Delsink, Yolanda Pretorius, Jeanetta Selier, Heike R. Zitzer | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 27 March 2018 | Published: 27 September 2018

About the author(s)

Marion E. Garaï, Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Vaalwater, South Africa
Lucy A. Bates, Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Vaalwater, South Africa; and, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
Henk Bertschinger, Department of Production Animal Studies, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Audrey Delsink, Humane Society International – Africa, South Africa
Yolanda Pretorius, Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Vaalwater, South Africa; and, Southern African Wildlife College, Hoedspruit, South Africa
Jeanetta Selier, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa; and, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Heike R. Zitzer, Pongola Node of Space for Elephants Foundation, Pongola, South Africa

Abstract

Management interventions are necessary to control elephant numbers within fenced wildlife reserves in South Africa. Use of non-lethal control methods is increasing, but information about their suitability and effects are not widely available. Three such methods are currently available: immunocontraception with porcine zona pellucida vaccine, vasectomy and gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine. Here we consolidate what we know about these methods, using published sources and material shared at a workshop held in South Africa in 2016, in order to provide up-to-date information for future policy decisions concerning the use of these methods in South Africa and elsewhere.

Keywords

Elephant; population-control-methods; contraception

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Crossref Citations

1. Management of African elephant populations in small fenced areas: Current practices, constraints and recommendations
S.A. Jeanetta Selier, Rob Slotow, Dave Balfour
Bothalia  vol: 48  issue: 1  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/abc.v48i2.2414