South Africa has lifted a moratorium on elephant culling to combat a surge in population numbers.

The South African government halted the killing of elephants in 1995 but since then numbers have more than doubled.

The government says it is authorising the cull as a last resort and that culling will only be acceptable under strict conditions.

The move comes despite an outcry from animal rights activists who say entire family groups would be slaughtered.

South African National Parks (SANParks), which manages the country's parks, and called for the government to allow the culling, said that while the moratorium would be lifted there were no immediate plans to implement a cull.

Other preferred options include the translocation of elephants and contraception.

Animal rights campaigners have written to the South African government demanding that culling be removed from the guidelines for elephant management.

They say there is no scientific evidence for culling and the lifting of the moratorium has a commercial dimension.

(BBC)

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