Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

Copies of all records, insofar as this information is recorded and held by the South African National Parks, relating to the Kruger National Park Buffalo Offtake which demonstrate and/or answer the following questions:

1. Is there any scientific or conservation justification for the buffalo “sustainable off take” exercise currently underway in the Kruger National Park.
2. If the answer to 1 is yes, please provide full details of this justification.
3. How many buffalo have been killed in terms of this exercise in 2016?
4. How many buffalo are planned to be killed in terms of this exercise in 2017?
5. How were these numbers (apparently 1-4% of the population) determined?
6. What is the current estimated buffalo population in the Kruger National Park?
7. Has and/ or will any meat be sold to staff, community members and/or others.
8. If meat is to be sold, at what price will it be sold?
9. Will the by-products of the buffalo such as skins, horns, bones, offal, etc. be sold?
10. If these by products will be sold, who will they be sold to and how will the purchaser(s) be selected?
11. Which NGO’s, charities and/or local communities will receive meat? Please supply names, addresses and numbers of people they support.
12. What was the basis of selection of these NGO’s, charities and/or local communities?
13. What was the cost of the recent refurbishment of the Skukuza abattoir?
14. How many staff are:
    • Currently employed at the abattoir; and
    • Will be employed at the abbatoir?
15. What are the annual actual and budgeted operating income and costs of the abattoir?
16. Please provide full details of all physical, structural and procedural animal welfare measures in place at the abattoir, and how compliance with these measures is consistently (a) managed and (b) enforced.
17. Please provide the relevant details from the Kruger Park Management Plan which covers sustainable off-take and in what circumstances this may be undertaken
18. Please provide registration details for participation in the Kruger National Park Management Plan Review to be undertaken in 2017