Ndhlovu the so called Endangered Elephants of South Africa – Documentary by Ron Thomson

In 1989, at the Conference of the Parties (Cop 7 – CITES) (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), the African elephant was declared to be an “endangered species”; and all trade in elephant ivory was banned. The motivators of these unfortunate steps comprised the international Animal Rights Brigade – which represents the biggest Confidence Industry the world has ever known. They erroneously claim that the elephant is declining in number and facing extinction. To the contrary, throughout southern Africa ALL elephant populations are exploding and now number between 10 and 20 times the sustainable elephant carrying-capacities of their habitats. So, the biggest danger to elephants – besides the existence of animal rightists – comes from the elephants themselves.

This film – shot in South Africa’s Kruger National Park – proves my point.

The elephant populations in all southern African game reserves have been doubling their numbers every ten years for the last 60 years.  Their numbers now grossly exceed the sustainable elephant carrying capacities of their habitats.  They are literally eating themselves out of house and home.  The numbers of elephants in all these sanctuaries actually represent the biggest danger to overall elephant survival – much moreso than the elephant poachers.  Furthermore,  the survival of southern Africa’s entire biological diversity is also now at risk – because there are far too many elephants! They are destroying their own habitats AND they are destroying the habitats of all the other animal species, too.

People who visit Kruger National Park in South Africa are only happy when they see lots of elephants. They don’t see, and they don’t even think about the fact, that a grossly excessive number of elephants, over many years, have destroyed ‘more than’ 95% of the big top-canopy trees in the Park; and that this fact is going to destroy the national park’s total biological diversity. This film will introduce this vitally important topic into the minds of visitors to the park for the very first time.  Kruger is currently carrying some 40 000 elephants when it should be carrying only 3 500 (+/- 500).  Everyone, therefore, is going to have to be asking the question: “What is Kruger going to do with its surplus elephants?

Southern Africa’s national parks and game reserves are legend all over the world. The time has come, however, to stop thinking “ELEPHANT” when they visit these sanctuaries.  They should start thinking “Broad spectrum of diverse animal and plant species”. Why? Because too many elephants in all our sanctuaries are destroying the biological diversities of all these parks. Because these too-many-elephants are starting to turn our wildlife sanctuaries into deserts, we must start taking a much more responsible attitude towards elephant management issues.  This film will show you “what is” in Kruger National Park and that will provide the foundation for a lot of much more responsible thought about elephant management.

Ron Thomson

CEO TGA