Marloth Park game must be culled – NSPCA

In a dramatic turn of events, the NSPCA insisted on the immediate culling of animals in the holiday town of Marloth Park in Mpumalanga.

If the request is not addressed by tomorrow, the animal protection body said it would apply for an urgent interdict forcing the issue. The seemingly constant infighting among various resident bodies and a lack of co-operation and co-ordination by the authorities led to this drastic step.

This wildlife reserve near Komatipoort, which borders the Kruger National Park, has been plagued by wild animals dying in droves due to starvation and overpopulation over the past few years.

According to the Marloth Park WhatsApp group, ‘Reporting of sick, injured and dead animals’, more than 300 animals either died or had to be shot by rangers over the past four months.

Information shared on the group suggested 68 animals died in July alone. Of these, 49 are said to have died of starvation.

In a strongly worded letter written by attorney Tony Berlowitz on behalf of the NSPCA, the organisation warned, among others, the Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM) and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) that the municipality must immediately proceed to euthanise animals.

“The reduction of overpopulated species (must) take place as a matter of urgency and before the summer season and excess breeding.

“In this regard, it is imperative that sick, injured and compromised animals must be prioritised and humanely euthanised when required. Euthanasia must be carried out by qualified personnel using approved and humane methods with great compassion,” the NSPCA said.

The NSPCA said it has warned the municipality on numerous occasions about the crisis. The first warning was on April 10, 2014, followed by the same on August 12, 2015; August 18, 2020; September 13, 2021; September 8, 2022; and April 4, 2023.

These warnings have either been ignored or there has been a failure to address the issue, the NSPCA said. “Compounding the problem is that the Marloth Rate Payers Association [MRPA] has allegedly indicated that it has a ‘blanket interdict’ to prohibit culling,” Berlowitz wrote.

“Our client, our council and ourselves have investigated this statement, and we dispute this position in fact and in law.”

The 2017 interdict prohibits the shooting of animals among dwellings in the park.

Berlowitz told Lowvelder they are preparing an application for an urgent interdict to force the NLM to act.

Denis Goffinet of the Marloth Park Property Owners Association (MPPOA) said they see the NSPCA’s letter in a positive light. They are in agreement with the NSPCA’s effort to force the NLM to act. “The boma approach [of culling] has been pushed by the MRPA, [which] has openly supported the execution [erecting] of illegal bomas by private citizens on municipal lands. This method was tried and failed dismally in 2021, resulting in wasted expenditure,” he said.

“We are also aware of a much more cost-effective proposal to euthanasia and culling animals using professionals.” This method has been proposed by the honorary rangers, but to no avail.

The MPPOA already wrote a letter to the NSPCA in support of its action.

Plans are on the table at the NLM to address the overcrowding of animals, and although a deadline was set for culling to start in June, nothing happened. Lowvelder sent requests for comment to at least 11 respondents in the NSPCA letter, among which are the NLM, MTPA, MRPA and the minister of forestry, fishery and the environment.

By the time of publishing, no reply had been received.

However, the NLM’s spokesperson, Cyril Ripinga, told Lowvelder there is no crisis in Marloth Park. “We heeded the court interdict and had to re-evaluate how best we could deal with the situation. There is an issue of overpopulation, but it’s not a crisis. A tender was advertised over a month ago and a service provider will soon be appointed to deal with the issue.”

He added that the municipality will not cull the animals in bomas.

“We will use a process called game capturing, wherein we will count all game inside Marloth Park and from there get expert advice on how many of them need to be put down. We will capture them and take them to a place where they can be slaughtered in order to restore balance in the park.”