Dart gun ‘pill’ for elephants

South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, home to thousands of elephants, is planning a birth control campaign to prevent a population explosion that could threaten plants and wildlife.

Unlike other parts of Africa where elephant stocks have dwindled to dangerously low levels due to poaching and a loss of habitat, South Africa has seen its populations steadily grow through conservation, with the country pressed for room to house the massive animals.

Testing of a contraceptive to be used on cow elephants, administered by dart and requiring an annual booster, has been conducted at 14 small reserves.