SANParks' Culling Policy

[Klipspringer]

Lis, it's from the tender section on Sanparks website

https://www.sanparks.org/groups/tenders/

[Flutterby]

I also didn't know this...quite an eye-opener!

[Lisbeth]

An interesting page

Even the bids are quoted, but not who has won

An enormous amount of work, that most of us thought was done by Sanparks is in fact tendered to service providers from outside.

[Richprins]

That is why things take longer and are more expensive. It is a lucrative policy for all state enterprises, including Eskom!

[Klipspringer]

Overview: Culling & Take-offs of Game in SANParks (2016)

Source: https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/co ... report.pdf

Resource Use
Promoting resource use and the equitable sharing of benefits from parks are growing priorities for the future sustainability of conservation.

Addo Elephant National Park
Warthogs pose a continual threat and management challenge.
Extralimital species in the park including domestic animals, feral pigs (Sus scrofa) and warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) are currently actively being removed. Warthogs, which are not indigenous to the Eastern Cape, occur in high numbers in the park and may have significant impact particularly on bulbs. Annual warthog culling has been undertaken by rangers for the past several years, but has proved insufficient and in future will be carried out by professional culling operators.
Game sales and the indigenous plant nursery provide an annual source of income and access to these resources for outside parties. Buffalo are sold annually on auction.
An average of 200 to 400 warthogs are culled annually and the meat is sold to cover the costs of culling. Initially SANParks conducted the culls and sold meat to staff at R6/kg to cover costs. Later an open tender was put out for warthog carcasses, which were sold at R12/kg. From 2016 an
external operator has taken over the culling function.

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Augrabies Falls National Park
The off-take of live game from Augrabies Falls supplements game numbers in other parks and has also provided eland, ostrich and giraffe to the ‡Khomani San for introduction onto their farm Erin, in fulfilment of a land claim agreement. Harvesting quotas are informed by ongoing research, monitoring and adaptive management principles to ensure ecosystem integrity.

Bontebok National Park
In some years surplus bontebok are captured and sold, generating income for SANParks and serving a dual management aim of population control and distribution of genetic material in the larger bontebok population.

Camdeboo National Park
Income is generated annually from fishing permits for carp species (Cyprinus carpio) and the African Sharptooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Neither of these species is indigenous to the park. A small amount of money is also generated through the sale of venison from animals such as black wildebeest and ostriches which are culled according to the management plan. In some years live game sales also take place.

Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Excess game such as eland, red hartebeest, black wildebeest and blesbok are culled for the vulture restaurant and sold as venison.

Kalahari Gemsbok National Park
Although the ‡Khomani San have hunting rights, no hunting was done.
Animals culled for management purposes include gemsbok and blue wildebeest.

Karoo National Park
As part of herbivore population management, the park contributes animals for translocation to understocked parks or for genetic supplementation. Karoo National Park sells animals to cover the costs of capture and census operations and uses some to feed predators kept in bomas.
A small amount of money is generated in some years through the sale of venison from ostriches and gemsbok.

Kruger National Park
There is an opportunity for other formalised resource use projects such as marula fruit, firewood harvesting, and animal products stemming from DCA off takes, particularly in the resource use zone which can have a positive impact on relationships between Kruger and neighbouring communities.

Marakele National Park
The detection of Corridor Disease in 2008 in Marakele’s buffalo population and the subsequent removal of all buffalos, re-testing and reintroductions, has cost the organisation millions of rands and had derailed the proposed park expansion plans with Welgevonden. All buffalo were removed from Marakele and disease free buffalo were re-introduced in 2011.
Warthogs and kudu are used as part of management actions. Capture and movement of game quotas are informed by ongoing research, monitoring and evaluation and adaptive management principles to ensure ecosystem integrity.

Mokala National Park
The only resource use that takes place in Mokala is related to park management and includes the use of abiotic resources (rocks, gravel, water and soil) and the capture and sale of game species. Selling game is a valuable source of income and Mokala has many valuable species that are auctioned. The capture and selling quotas are informed by ongoing research and adaptive management principles to ensure ecosystem integrity.
Culling for venison for the Mokala restaurant is approved according to quotas determined by monitoring and research outcomes and needs.

Mountain Zebra National Park
Use of resources is restricted to game sales and culling that take place as part of herbivore population management. Some animals are translocated to other parks, while in other instances income is generated through live game sales to cover monitoring and capture related costs. In the past, a small amount of money is also generated through the sale of venison following culling operations.

West Coast National Park
Up to 150 ostriches are culled annually and the venison is sold to cover some of the costs.

[Klipspringer]

"culling for the restaurant" - usually called 'hunting'.

Why don't they remove all warthog from Addo? Is it a valuable source of income to sell them for culling every year?

[Richprins]

Very interesting, Klippies!

Yes, one would think they would wipe out all warthog on sight then?



"The critical role of census"....except in Kruger!


Funds were elaborately donated to Kruger for a full aerial census by government a decade ago, and nothing happened!

[Klipspringer]

Quite interesting document, I will do another post on resource us (harvesting) tomorrow.

[Klipspringer]

Yes, one would think they would wipe out all warthog on sight then?

I am tempted to think they breed warthog for commercial purposes

[Richprins]

Who knows!