Culling

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Culling is the killing of a limited portion of the population of a group of animals. This may be done to improve breeding stock (by killing individuals with undesirable characteristics), improve production of eggs or milk (by killing individuals whose production is relatively low), prevent the spread of disease (by killing infected individuals), or simply control the group's population for the benefit of the environment and other species.

Culling for population control is most common in wildlife management, particularly on African game farms. When large animals disturb tenants or nearby farmers, some of the animals may be killed. In the case of very large animals, such as elephants, adults are often targeted. Their orphaned young, easily captured and transported, are then relocated. Without proper elephant socialization, young male elephants are believed to become unruly and dangerous to other elephants, wildlife and humans. Culling is controversial in many African countries, and the practice has been recommended in recent years for use at the Kruger National Park in South Africa, which has experienced a swell in its elephant population since culling was banned in 1995.

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