Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Free-Roaming Animals, Killing, and Suffering: The Case of African Elephants

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics

Part of the book series: The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series ((PMAES))

Abstract

The question of elephant “management”, presented here as epitomizing the conflicts of interests between human beings and free-ranging animals, is widely regarded as one of the more intractable problems on the African continent. Generally valued as magnificent and among the most intelligent members of the continent’s population of free-roaming animals, admired by Africans and foreign tourists alike, elephants are also considered to be among the most problematic in that they have a substantial impact on their environment. What makes the issue of “culling”—or “legal” (that is, government-controlled) killing for purposes of population management—different from cases of abuse and cruelty is that killing is characteristically seen to require justification, whether in terms of resources, health, welfare or interests. Such a defence, which is characteristically not forthcoming in instances of abuse and cruelty, may assume several forms, or combinations of the following considerations: cultural, scientific, economic, and/or moral. Confronting advocates of killing on their home territory, this chapter argues that—just as it is morally reprehensible as a means towards curbing human overpopulation and human environmental degradation—killing is impermissible in the case of non-human animals, especially in cases where these animals (in the present case, elephants) are relevantly similar to human beings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See J. Carruthers and A. Boshoff, “The Elephant in South Africa: History and Distribution”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008); C. C. Grant et al., “Controlling the Distribution of Elephants”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008); R. Slotow, I. Whyte, and M. Hofmeyr, “Lethal Management of Elephants”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008); H. P. P. Lötter et al., “Ethical Considerations in Elephant Management”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008); and H. C. Biggs and R. Slotow, “Towards Integrated Decision Making for Elephant Management”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  2. 2.

    Mutwa, Isilwane, 109.

  3. 3.

    SANParks, The Great Elephant Indaba: Finding an African Solution to an African Problem (South African National Parks, Pretoria, 2005), accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/docs/general/report.pdf, 12.

  4. 4.

    Ibid.

  5. 5.

    F. Khan, “The Roots of Environmental Racism and the Rise of Environmental Justice in the 1990s”, in Environmental Justice in South Africa, ed. D. A. McDonald (Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town Press, 2002), 42, 43.

  6. 6.

    See L. Hopkinson, M. Van Staden, and J. Ridl, “National and International Law”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  7. 7.

    D. Cumming et al., “Management Charter—Draft Summary/Synthesis”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d., 356.

  8. 8.

    Quoted in Khan, “Environmental Racism”, 40.

  9. 9.

    SANParks, Indaba, 12.

  10. 10.

    SANParks, Indaba, 13. On the links between elephants’ destruction of fences and the spread of disease, see also Cumming et al., “Charter”, 358.

  11. 11.

    SANParks, Indaba, 12. See also W. Twine and H. Magome, “Interactions Between Elephants and People”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  12. 12.

    See above; L. Makuleke, “Rural Communities as Roleplayers and Stakeholders in the South African Wildlife Industries”, presentation at a Wildlife Utilisation Forum of South Africa conference. Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South Africa, April 14 1997; Khan, “Environmental Racism”, 43.

  13. 13.

    See Grant et al., “Controlling …”; H. Bertschinger and A. Delsink, “Reproductive Control of Elephants”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008); Twine and Magome, “Interactions”.

  14. 14.

    T. Ferrar and A. Rossaak, “WESSA’s Roadmap for Negotiating the Elephant Cul-de-Sac Providing the Basis of the Executive Summary Titled The Role of Science in SANParks Decision Making”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d., 332.

  15. 15.

    P. Mundy, “The African Elephant—Something to Cherish and to Use”, International Journal of Environmental Studies 63/5 (2006).

  16. 16.

    N. Owen-Smith, “Elephant Culling: A Measured Approach”, Arena. The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the University of the Witwatersrand, Winter Edition, 2/1 (2006), 48; G. I. H. Kerley et al., “Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  17. 17.

    I. J. Whyte, “The Feasibility of Current Options for the Management of Wild Elephant Populations”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d., 308.

  18. 18.

    Ibid.; emphasis mine.

  19. 19.

    See Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 355.

  20. 20.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 308.

  21. 21.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 309; see also Grobler et al., “Elephant Translocation”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  22. 22.

    Lötter et al., “Ethical Considerations”; Grobler et al., “Elephant Translocation”.

  23. 23.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310; S. Daley, “Park Uses Contraception, Not Killing, to Keep Elephants in Check” New York Times, July 22, 1997, accessed 21 April 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/22/science/park-uses-contraception-not-killing-to-keep-elephants-in-check.html?pagewanted=all; See also Ferrar and Rossaak, “WESSA’s Roadmap”, 334; Bertschinger and Delsink, “Reproductive Control”.

  24. 24.

    P. E. Buss, “Estimated Costs of Using Contraception to Manage the Elephant Populations of Kruger National Park”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d., 325.

  25. 25.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310; see also Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 360.

  26. 26.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310; See also Slotow, Whyte, and Hofmeyr, “Lethal Management”.

  27. 27.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 359, 360.

  28. 28.

    Ferrar and Rossaak, “WESSA’s Roadmap”, 333.

  29. 29.

    R. Van Aarde, T. Jackson, R. Guldemond, A. A. Kinahan, Y. De Beer, A. M. Shrader, S. Ferreira, T. Ott, and E. R. Lehman, “Elephants and their Management in the Kruger National Park”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d., 339; See also Owen-Smith, “Elephant Culling”, 49; Kerley et al. “Effects”; R. Van Aarde, S. Ferreira, T. Jackson, and B. Page. “Elephant Population Biology and Ecology”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  30. 30.

    Van Aarde et al., “Elephants”, 339; On the need to understand the role of elephants as individuals in the ecosystem, see R. Slotow, “Understanding Individuals in Order to Manage Populations”, accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, 348, 349; and Slotow, Whyte, and Hofmeyr, “Lethal Management”.

  31. 31.

    Van Aarde et al., “Elephants”, 342.

  32. 32.

    Ibid.; see also Van Aarde et al., “Elephant Population”.

  33. 33.

    Owen-Smith, “Elephant Culling”, 49; See also Kerley et al., “Effects”.

  34. 34.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 359.

  35. 35.

    Van Aarde et al., “Elephants”, 339, 340.

  36. 36.

    Mundy, “African Elephant”.

  37. 37.

    Ibid.

  38. 38.

    See also J. Blignaut, M. De Wit, and J. Barnes, “The Economic Value of Elephants”, in Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, ed. R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell (Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008).

  39. 39.

    Buss, “Estimated Costs”, 326.

  40. 40.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310; SANParks, Indaba, 13.

  41. 41.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 360; Mundy, “African Elephant”; Grobler et al., “Elephant Translocation”, 251–252.

  42. 42.

    Mundy, “African Elephant”.

  43. 43.

    SANParks, Indaba, 13.

  44. 44.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310.

  45. 45.

    Owen-Smith, “Elephant Culling”, 48.

  46. 46.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 310.

  47. 47.

    Ibid.; See also Ferrar and Rossaak, “WESSA’s Roadmap”, 334.

  48. 48.

    Reported by Daley, “Contraception”.

  49. 49.

    SANParks, Indaba, 13.

  50. 50.

    Owen-Smith, “Elephant Culling”, 48.

  51. 51.

    Whyte, “Current Options”, 311.

  52. 52.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 352.

  53. 53.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 353.

  54. 54.

    See K. Horsthemke, Animals and African Ethics (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), 54–62.

  55. 55.

    Cumming et al., “Management Charter”, 356.

  56. 56.

    See K. Horsthemke, The Moral Status and Rights of Animals (Pinegowrie, South Africa: Porcupine Press, 2010), Chap. 3.6.

  57. 57.

    In Horsthemke, Moral Status, Chap. 5 and in part II of the book, respectively.

  58. 58.

    Horsthemke, Moral Status, 165–169.

Bibliography

  • Bertschinger, H., and A. Delsink. “Reproductive Control of Elephants”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 257–328. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, H. C., and R. Slotow. “Towards Integrated Decision Making for Elephant Management”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 537–586. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blignaut, J., M. De Wit, and J. Barnes. “The Economic Value of Elephants”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 446–476. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, P. E. “Estimated Costs of Using Contraception to Manage the Elephant Populations of Kruger National Park”, 323–326. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d.

  • Carruthers, J., and A. Boshoff. “The Elephant in South Africa: History and Distribution”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 23–83. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, D., A. Gaylard, G. Castley, and I. J. Whyte. “Management Charter—Draft Summary/Synthesis”, 350–366. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d.

  • Daley, S. “Park Uses Contraception, Not Killing, to Keep Elephants in Check”. New York Times, July 22, 1997. Accessed April 21, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/22/science/park-uses-contraception-not-killing-to-keep-elephants-in-check.html?pagewanted=all.

  • Ferrar, T., and A. Rossaak. “WESSA’s Roadmap for Negotiating the Elephant Cul-de-Sac Providing the Basis of the Executive Summary Titled The Role of Science in SANParks Decision Making”, 332–336. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d.

  • Grant, C. C. (Rina), R. Bengis, D. Balfour, and M. Peel. “Controlling the Distribution of Elephants”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 329–369. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grobler, D. G., J. J. Van Altena, J. H. Malan, and R. L. Mackey. “Elephant Translocation”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 241–256. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkinson, L., M. Van Staden, and J. Ridl. “National and International Law”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 477–536. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horsthemke, K. The Moral Status and Rights of Animals. Pinegowrie, South Africa: Porcupine Press, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. Animals and African Ethics. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerley, G. I. H., M. Landman, L. Kruger, and N. Owen-Smith. “Effects of Elephants on Ecosystems and Biodiversity”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 146–205. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, F. “The Roots of Environmental Racism and the Rise of Environmental Justice in the 1990s”. In Environmental Justice in South Africa, edited by D. A. McDonald, 15–48. Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town Press, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lötter, H. P. P., M. Henley, S. Fakir, and M. Pickover. “Ethical Considerations in Elephant Management”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 406–445. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Makuleke, L. “Rural Communities as Roleplayers and Stakeholders in the South African Wildlife Industries”. Presentation at a Wildlife Utilisation Forum of South Africa conference. Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South Africa, April 14 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P. “The African Elephant—Something to Cherish and to Use”. International Journal of Environmental Studies 63/5 (2006): 587–597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mutwa, C. Isilwane: The Animal. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen-Smith, N. “Elephant Culling: A Measured Approach”. Arena. The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the University of the Witwatersrand, Winter Edition, 2/1 (2006): 48–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • SANParks. The Great Elephant Indaba: Finding an African Solution to an African Problem. South African National Parks, Pretoria, 2005. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/docs/general/report.pdf.

  • Slotow, R. “Understanding Individuals in Order to Manage Populations”. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf: 348–349, n.d.

  • Slotow, R., I. Whyte, and M. Hofmeyr. “Lethal Management of Elephants”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 370–405. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twine, W., and H. Magome. “Interactions Between Elephants and People”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 206–240. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Aarde, R., T. Jackson, R. Guldemond, A. A. Kinahan, Y. De Beer, A. M. Shrader, S. Ferreira, T. Ott, and E. R. Lehman. “Elephants and their Management in the Kruger National Park”, 338–345. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d.

  • Van Aarde, R., S. Ferreira, T. Jackson, and B. Page. “Elephant Population Biology and Ecology”. In Elephant Management: A Scientific Assessment for South Africa, edited by R. J. Scholes and K. G. Mennell, 84–145. Johannesburg, South Africa: Wits University Press, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whyte, I. J. “The Feasibility of Current Options for the Management of Wild Elephant Populations”, 308–311. Accessed April 18, 2016, https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/key_issues/9.Management.pdf, n.d.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt, Germany

    Kai Horsthemke

Authors
  1. Kai Horsthemke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kai Horsthemke .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, Oxford, UK

    Andrew Linzey

  2. Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, Oxford, UK

    Clair Linzey

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Horsthemke, K. (2018). Free-Roaming Animals, Killing, and Suffering: The Case of African Elephants. In: Linzey, A., Linzey, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics. The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-36671-9_30

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation