Africa’s elephants are out of control, and the continent’s people, and plants, are paying the price. Far too many elephants, with far too little territory – surrounded by ever more people and with culling hampered by Western animal rights groups and green activists – risk contributing to a wildlife-induced forest ecocide. Millions of mopane, baobab and other trees, are being pushed over, devoured or shredded into bushes. Great national parks are in danger of being transformed into desert-like scrubland.

Elephant numbers have exploded in Kruger over the past century

During a week hiking in what should be forest but now is a degraded bushland near the Olifants River on the edge of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, I saw elephants everywhere. On the first day, we ran into a herd of six elephants in less than an hour. Circling around them we encountered another larger herd tearing the tops off the already denuded trees. Trying to avoid this group, we blundered into three, young elephant bulls.

The largest of the trio caught wind of us and angrily flapped his ears forward. Trumpeting as he advanced in our direction, it was some comfort to be accompanied by two professional hunters armed with rifles. At about 70 meters, the bull broke off his shuffling canter in our direction and headed back to his pals. Wian Espach, one of the guides, laughed: ‘That was typical. It’s always the young bulls who cause the most trouble. A bit like with us people.’

Elephant numbers have exploded in Kruger over the past century. They now number over 31,000 up from ‘just a handful’ in the early 1900s, according to South Africa National Parks website. Kruger Park did not respond to three emails........

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