06/24/2025
“Zimbabwe Will Become an Elephant Graveyard!”
- 77 Rescue Groups Sound Alarm-
Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe — A growing number of Zimbabwean citizens and conservation advocates are voicing strong opposition to the renewed culling of elephants in the Save Valley Conservancy (SVC), one of Africa’s largest private wildlife reserves. This year, authorities have announced the cull of 50 elephants, but private landowners within the Conservancy plan to cull up to 600 elephants.
“The very idea that these elephants should be killed and eaten like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is deeply misguided,” said Harmony Fund Founder Laura Simpson who represents a network of 77 animal rescue squads internationally. “When did we as a species decide that the solution to our conservation matters was mass murder?"
In 2024, an estimated 200 elephants were culled, but the practice went largely unreported. Now, in 2025, the number is set to triple. Among the leading proponents is W***y Pabst, a millionaire landowner and holder of over 200,000 acres, including the Sango Reserve. Pabst has publicly stated his desire to eradicate more elephants, citing environmental degradation and overpopulation as key reasons. However, local conservationists argue that the ecological role elephants play is being ignored, and that sustainable, humane alternatives exist.
“Elephants are nature’s gardeners,” Simpson said. “They open up dense forests, which allows grasslands to regenerate and supports a wider range of biodiversity. The idea that they are purely destructive is a misunderstanding of their vital ecological function.”
Critics argue that the culling is being driven more by politics and profit than conservation. While authorities claim the meat is used to feed starving communities, alternative forms of food support from the international community are needed. Meat is a luxury item in many rural communities and is rarely consumed more than once a month. Furthermore, profits from the sale of ivory, hides, and body parts go primarily to landowners.
Activists are also calling for an independent audit of Zimbabwe’s national ivory stockpile to ensure transparency and to prevent illegal stock augmentation through culling.
“Harmony Fund is comprised of a league of 77 animal rescue squads across the planet,” Simpson said. “We are the voice of animals who roam this earth. In unison, we are calling for an abrupt end to the planned cull and an audit of Zimbabwe’s ivory storage to see if the ivory from previous culls is indeed under safekeeping or being exploited for profit.”
Culling has long been discredited as a conservation tool. In South Africa, over 16,000 elephants were culled between 1967 and 1994, only for authorities to halt the practice after acknowledging its ineffectiveness and the trauma it inflicted on elephant populations.
Experts like Dr. Joyce Poole and Cynthia Moss, who have studied elephants for over 40 years in Kenya and at locations such as Amboseli National Park, emphasize that elephants communicate over long distances and react with distress to the killing of their kin. Culling leads to increased aggression, psychological trauma, and long-term disruptions to herd structures.
Local landowners also argue that the destruction of iconic trees, such as baobabs, caused by elephants can be mitigated through simple, non-lethal methods, including wire mesh fencing. Mopane forests, often cited as "damaged," naturally regenerate through a process known as coppicing, where one broken tree gives rise to multiple new shoots.
Instead of culling, conservationists advocate for responsible translocation programs. Countries like Congo and Mozambique are seeking to replenish elephant populations lost to poaching. Modern methods could safely relocate small family groups of 10–15 elephants by air, creating a win-win for conservation efforts across the continent.
“Zimbabwe risks turning into an elephant graveyard under the pretense of conservation,” Simpson said. “We need transparency, accountability, and a return to scientifically grounded conservation practices—not outdated, inhumane policies.”
As voices grow louder both within Zimbabwe and internationally, citizens are urging organizations, scientists, and global leaders like Dr. Jane Goodall to lend their voice and help protect one of Africa’s most iconic species.
"These elephants are family units," Simpson continued. "Mothers and babies, brothers and sisters. They will be chased down and killed in front of one another.”
Harmony Fund asks for support of its wildlife protection fund. www.HarmonyFund.org
