THE South African National Parks has not taken a decision to cull any of its elephants, according to SANP chief executive Mavuso Msimang. Msimang was reacting to a report in Friday’s Mail & Guardian that the Kruger National Park is to propose culling between 400 and 1000 elephants a year over the next five years to control its elephant population. SANP conservation development director, Dr Anthony Hall-Martin, said on Sunday that the park will look at alternatives, such as translocation. “While the removal of elephants from designated zones within the park was discussed, no mention was made of a resumption of killing of elephants next year as claimed by the M&G,” he said. The M&G report indicates that the park’s new elephant management plan recommends that 963 elephants be removed between 1999 and 2000. It is unlikely the park will begin to implement the new management plan before the end of April, because of the controversy it may raise at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting in Kenya from April 10 to 20. Cites is the international forum for regulating trade in endangered natural resources.