Birth control for elephants

[Guest guest]

*Not Asian but very relevant since we have something very similar to this

being proposed in Bengal.*

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*http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143964323*

*Birth control for elephants to start

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By Beatrice Obwocha and Winnie Chumo

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) plans to experiment with contraceptives to

control a surging elephant population.

KWS Director, Dr Julius Kipng'etich, said the experiment would be conducted

on elephants at Shimba Hills in the Coast.

" The use of contraceptives on elephants has worked in South Africa and we

will borrow the idea to control the number of elephants, " he said.

Should the experiment succeed, the exercise would be spread to other areas,

Kipng'etich said. The population of elephants currently stands at 30,000.

Kipng'etich said the number is optimal and should not be allowed to increase

to more than 50,000. " We want to take measures now to avoid a crisis in

future, " he told *The Standard *in Nairobi.

Cases of elephants straying into farms and killing people have been reported

in various parts, with residents threatening to kill the animals if KWS

failed to restrain them.

The move to control breeding could therefore be boost to efforts to stem

wildlife/human conflict.

At the same time, Kipng'etich said Kenya would oppose any move to allow

trade in elephant tusks. " If we open a window for this trade we are likely

to go back to the era when elephants were almost extinct. We cannot control

poaching, " he said.

He said a proposal for ivory trade would be rejected during the Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species of World Flora and Fauna

(Cites) to be held in the Netherlands in June.

He also decried the proliferation of small arms in the region, which he said

was encouraging poaching.

Meanwhile, an annual festival will be launched in a bid to save the dying

Lake Nakuru.

The inaugural festival of what has been named Flamingo Festival will be held

between December 9 and 16. This was revealed by Mr John Boot, the manager of

Nakuru Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation programme said on Thursday.

The event, which is aimed at educating local residents on conservation, will

include a 12km walk, road shows, exhibitions, tree planting and a gala

night.

" We aim at involving local residents in the festival because they directly

or indirectly have an impact on Lake Nakuru, " said Boot.

Speaking at a press conference at a Nakuru hotel, Boot deplored some

activities that have led to the drying up of the lake and flight of

flamingos.

" Destruction of water catchments and pollution has affected the lake. We

hope the festival will enable residents realise the impact of their

activities on the lake, " he said.

Mr Michael Kabosi, events planner at Virtue Africa Youth Awake, termed the

drying of the lake a threat to Nakuru town residents and the Rift Valley

Province.

" Residents benefit a lot through tourism and if the lake dies many

businesses will be affected, " he said.

Nakuru, which is famed for flamingos, has been losing the birds to other

lakes due to a decrease of food and fresh water.

 

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