THE DEBATE OVER ELEPHANT CULLING: IS IT EVER MORALLY JUSTIFIED TO CULL ELEPHANTS?

This article argues that, since elephants do not just live in forests or parks but in a whole social, economic, political and ecological environment, it is necessary to look at how surplus elephant populations affect the lives of human beings living in these communities and the environment. It also argues that it is not always wrong to cull elephants. However, this ought to be done under certain circumstances, for example, in cases where it is necessary to protect their habitats or the habitats of other animals and in cases where the elephant population threatens the livelihoods of human beings. Culling ought, however, to be done in a way that does not make the elephants suffer unnecessarily.