“As populations grow, resources become scarce in the threatened ecosystem of the Kalahari Desert and talks of an elephant cull begin to surface.” Watch as herds of African elephants make their journey to their favorite meeting place (on the Chobe River in Botswana) as Mike Chase contemplates the horrors of an imminent elephant cull. The following was transcribed from Elephants Under Threat of A Cull | The Long Walk Home | BBC Earth

Narrator:
(elephants walking slowly and rumbling loudly)

“In June and July the dry season takes hold of the land. Thousands of elephants are forced towards the few sources of water that remain. These are on their way to the Chobe River on Botswana’s northern border where they will converge into the largest gathering of elephants on the continent.”

“Elsewhere in Africa elephants are in decline but in Botswana, largely due to farsighted conservation efforts elephants are doing well, too well, perhaps. The population here is officially estimated at 150,000 and it is doubling every 15 years.”

(sweet baby elephant flapping his ears, slowly walking with his mama .dramatic close-up of an African elephant’s face and the plodding of their amazing elephant feet. elephants trumpeting and moving along swiftly to reach gathering at the waterhole, stirring up the dust and sand)

“Experts are worried that the elephants will soon destroy the fragile ecosystems on which they and so much other wildlife depend. Some scientists look at gatherings like this and predict environmental catastrophe.”

(elephants drinking at waterhole then camera shows Mike observing the elephants at their gathering )

“There have even been calls for a pre-emptive cull, literally shooting 60,000 elephants. Mike Chase is horrified by this idea.”

(Mike observing the elephants enjoying the water hole)

“He is a native of this land. He grew up in the bush where his fascination for elephants began and he spent most of his life watching and studying these gentle giants.”

“Mike is concerned by the rise in elephant numbers but he also thinks there is more to the problem than meets the eye.”

(elephants trumpet as they play at water hole)

“He suspects that numbers here are artificially high, that many of these elephants here are refugees from surrounding countries driven to Botswana’s safe haven by civil war and poaching.”

“Also Mike believes that it is impossible to make an accurate assessment of the elephant problem based on this temporary gathering at the Chobe River.”

Image: CC Flicker by youngroby Botswana Chobe two elephants greeting face to face at sparkling river

Mike:
(speaking to camera with elephants herd rumbling in the background)

“During the dry season we can see thousands of elephants coming to quench their thirst along this river. But in the wet season they disappear, they, they, you can come here and for days on end not see and elephant. Elephants are arguably the most well studied animals on the African continent. But we know so little about their movements.”

“Their movements remain a mystery and here in Botswana where we have the largest wilderness area left for elephants to roam over we, we knew so little.”

(Mike walking along water’s edge)

Watch BBC Earth YouTube video: “Elephants Under Threat of A Cull”

See also: Video Moment : Elephants Sniffing Out 10 Million Landmines  The Long Walk Home  BBC Earth  Part 3

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Image: CC Flicker by youngrobyv Botswana Chobe two similar elephants greeting face to face at sparkling river