Large mammal ecologist at the park Sam Ferreira says using war talk is counter-productive in the fight to stop poachers threatening the existence of elephants and other species.

It’s quite wrong to talk about declaring a war on poaching, Kruger National Park’s large mammal ecologist Sam Ferreira tells a side event at the conference of the parties to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species.

Only the president can declare war.

Bellicose language, he says,  is hurting efforts to engage local communities in the fight to save the elephant and other species.

“Be careful what you say. War talk is making things difficult for us, no matter how strongly you feel,” he says.

Ferreira says war talk drives the debate into a them and us situation with struggling local communities pitted against financially more comfortable conservationists.

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