ADDO ELEPHANT PARK, South Africa (AP) – The environment minister on Wednesday proposed limited culling and contraception to slow rampant elephant population growth but stressed there would be no mass slaughter.

Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that the current elephant population of 20,000 was growing at a rate of more than 6 percent per year, disrupting delicate biodiversity in the flagship Kruger National Park and other wildlife parks.

He said the government proposed introducing new management measures, including removal of elephants to other areas, creation of special enclosures to protect other species, expansion of parks, contraception and culling.

“I would have preferred not to consider the options of both culling and contraception,” he said, but added that the reality left him with no choice.

But he said slaughter would only be considered as a last resort when other management options had been exhausted.

“The government will never give a blank check to culling,” Mr. van Schalkwyk told journalists at the Addo Elephant Park.

Environmental groups and other interested parties have until May 4 to comment on the proposals and even after that it may take many more months to bring the measures into force.

Wednesday’s announcement followed months of impassioned debate, with some conservationists arguing that overall biodiversity should take priority and animal welfare groups outraged at the prospect of slaughter.

The government is fearful of upsetting tourists but van Schalkwyk ruled out the risk of a tourist boycott, saying the government action was designed to preserve the balance of nature that so entrances visitors.

South Africa has been hugely successful in managing its elephant populations, once on the verge of extinction. But herds in the Kruger Park, and also smaller parks such as Addo, are expected to double by 2020.

“We can conserve elephants but we have to start to worry about what we conserve with it,” said Graham Kerley, an elephant expert who works with officials at Addo National Park, which currently has some 450 elephants.

In 2005, the South African National Parks recommended that culling should be considered as one of the possibilities.

The country culled a total of 14,562 elephants between 1967 and 1994. Without that cull, the population would have rocketed by now to 80,000, according to park estimates. On current trends the population is expected to reach 34,000 by 2020.

There is no regional consensus on the issue. South Africa, Namibia and Botswana all have booming elephant populations, while East African nations such as Kenya are struggling. Trade in ivory has been banned since 1989 to try to combat poaching despite appeals by South Africa to resume sales and invest the proceeds in its parks.

Mr. Van Schalkwyk has said that the “no action” option is no longer realistic and that the government must act in the interest of “sustainable conservation.”

A single elephant devours up to 660 pounds of grass, leaves and twigs a day. And they are messy eaters – 60 percent gets wasted.

“The feeding impact of elephants is enormous because of their large size and the way they feed,” Mr. Kerley said.

Addo was established as a national elephant park in 1931, after a sustained campaign by local hunters and farmers had decimated the herd to just 11 beasts. With the acquisition of more land and extensive fencing to protect the animals from harm, the population has mushroomed.

Already the crowding is leading to tensions, according to Mr. Kerley. Mr. Kerley said their life expectancy made long-term planning essential. There were no quick fixes, he said.

“These things are not springbok or locusts; you need a long-term solution,” said Mr. Kerley.

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On the Net:

Addo Elephant Park: http://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo