A new short film featuring giant, life-size elephant puppets, “The Seed Bearers' Last Walk”, is calling for an end to plans to cull more than 2 000 elephants in South Africa, with conservationists arguing that proven non-lethal alternatives are already available.
Commissioned by Humane World for Animals South Africa, the film aims to raise public awareness of what the organisation describes as the imminent threat of mass elephant culling in provincial reserves, including Madikwe Game Reserve in North West Province and several protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the organisation, provincial and national authorities are considering culling as a response to claims of elephant overpopulation, despite decades of successful use of humane population management techniques.
Humane World for Animals South Africa said in a statement that the film features two adult elephant puppets and a calf moving through the shrubland of Cape Point before depicting the devastating consequences of culling.
It said that the life-size puppets were designed by acclaimed puppeteer Adrian Kohler of Handspring Puppet Company and built by the Ukwanda Puppets collective, whose members have contributed to internationally recognised productions such as War Horse and The Herds.
Humane World for Animals South Africa said elephant populations should instead be managed through immunocontraception, expanding wildlife corridors to allow natural dispersal, and increasing the size of protected areas to provide elephants with more space.
The organisation's Senior Wildlife Director, Dr Audrey Delsink, who has spent 25 years leading South Africa's elephant immunocontraception programme, said mass culling was unnecessary and inhumane.
"We are calling for a complete halt to the idea that elephants need to be mass culled in South Africa," she said.
"Elephant numbers do need to be managed because humans have vastly limited their natural range, but the least we can do is approach this challenge with compassion and respect for their welfare, especially when humane alternatives exist."
Delsink said more than 1 800 wild female elephants on 50 South African reserves have already been safely vaccinated through the programme, which is run in partnership with the University of Pretoria's Veterinary Population Management Laboratory and participating reserves.
She argued that while effective non-lethal methods have existed for decades, many provincial governments have delayed implementing them.
"Non-lethal methods have existed for decades, but many provincial governments have stalled for years. It is these same governments now advocating for a cull as a quick, cruel fix to their own inertia and as revenue streams for failing budgets," Delsink said.
The organisation maintains that lethal population control should only ever be considered as an absolute last resort, saying current scientific evidence supports non-lethal approaches as both effective and humane.
Senior Wildlife Specialist Dr Matthew Schurch said witnessing the filming was a deeply emotional experience.
"Watching the puppet elephants felt amazingly reminiscent of seeing elephants in the wild. When the puppets fell to the ground, the powerful stillness impacted us all. We must prevent a real-life tragedy from happening to our wild elephants," he said.
He expressed hope that the film would encourage greater public engagement with elephant conservation and inspire empathy for one of the world's most iconic species.
The production required seven puppeteers to animate the elephants. Puppeteer Siphokazi Mpofu said participating in the project allowed the team to advocate for wildlife through art.
"Being part of raising awareness for the endangered elephants was incredibly meaningful for us. The puppets have the unique power to make people stop, look and connect emotionally. They spark conversations, inspire empathy and remind us why protecting these magnificent animals matters," she said.
Humane World for Animals South Africa said that it hopes the film will shift public opinion away from viewing elephants as commodities for hunting or population control and instead strengthen appreciation for their ecological, cultural and intrinsic value.
The organisation is urging policymakers to prioritise humane conservation measures over culling, arguing that South Africa has the scientific knowledge and practical tools needed to manage elephant populations without resorting to mass killings.
In Namibia, the government has always said its decision to cull elephants is part of broader wildlife management measures aimed at addressing severe drought and increasing human-wildlife conflict.
