From a very knowledgeable and well-respected gent over on AR, reality:
FYI while putting together thoughts on the USF&W moratorium on ivory importation.
Zim vs. TZ
First thing one has to do seperate these 2 countries when you think about the USF&W decision and elephant populations. I agree with all Zig had to say on the subject about Zim.
Zim needs to get the illicit inside-the-parks and ration hunting thing under control and they are back on track.
TZ on the other hand is a different story. Poaching has taken a serious toll on the ele in that country. By all information I can put together...since the the 90's...ele populations in areas like the Selous have been reduced by close to 90%.
When you think about a species that lives to 60 plus years and has a gestation period of 645 days...this is serious. Some operators in TZ have noted this trend for some time and have self-limited there off-take in their blocks.
Basically in many places in TZ...what is left is a bare minimum breeding population. Realistically...nothing should be removed from these herds but 40+ year old bulls...which are few and far between.
While we have debated lion many times...lion and and ele are totally different. Lion in the wild live max to early teens...with most males not living to see 10. Ele live to 60+. Lion have a gestation perion of ~110 days and give berth to litters. Ele, 645 for a single calf. Lion are breeding by 2-3 years of age...ele mid to late teens.
Until poaching is brought under control...ele hunting in TZ needs to be strictly managed and no bulls less than 40 need be harvested.
While I vehemently oppose the USF&W banning ivory import of sport hunted ele as it punishes the wrong people and does nothing to stop "the problem" of poaching (may actually promote more poaching indirectly)...hunters hunting ele in TZ should be keenly aware of the scientific facts stated above.
If we are going to promote hunting as a conservation tool...we, hunters, have to stay conservation minded...and not hide from the facts.
Again...FWIW...FYI.
