Risk and ethical concerns of hunting male elephant: behavioural and physiological assays of the remaining elephants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hunting of male African elephants may pose ethical and risk concerns, particularly given their status as a charismatic species of high touristic value, yet which are capable of both killing people and damaging infrastructure.

Methodology/principal findings

We quantified the effect of hunts of male elephants on (1) risk of attack or damage (11 hunts), and (2) behavioural (movement dynamics) and physiological (stress hormone metabolite concentrations) responses (4 hunts) in Pilanesberg National Park. For eleven hunts, there were no subsequent attacks on people or infrastructure, and elephants did not break out of the fenced reserve. For three focal hunts, there was an initial flight response by bulls present at the hunting site, but their movements stabilised the da

SUBMITTER: Burke T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2426916 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature