PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT, PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF APEX PREDATOR SPECIES: ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF CULLING IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS

The management, preservation and conservation of apex predator species is important. This has been demonstrated by the re-introduction of the wolf in Yellowstone National Park in recent years, as shown by American educational documentary movies on this topic. In the Everglades National Park located in Florida, United States of America, there is a popular perception that there are many thousands of Burmese python. That they are not native to Florida and their numbers give them the bad reputation of being responsible for the decrease of mammals in the Florida Everglades National Park. There seems to be a paranoia that the alligator has been displaced by the Burmese Python as the top predator species in this national park. Since they are an invasive species, the hunt of 2013 was organized to reduce their numbers. The hunt numbers suggest that some information prior to the hunt may not have been verified scientifically as they should have been. The current work discusses the likelihood that the American alligator is still on the top of the food chain in the Everglades National Park. In addition, the scenario of too many members of the apex predator species in any national park in the world is raised. To achieve this, it is important that a suitable methodology/approach which is based on the results of census/census results of top predator species be established. A possible solution is to cull the numbers in wildlife management areas, and use the income from the sale of hunting licenses, tourist fees, meat and hide. A suitable methodology depends on the count of top predator species including a decision about the yearly numbers that need to be culled, the time period for culling and the size of wild animals to be culled, amongst other considerations. These decisions which are made based on this methodology should be largely hinged on sound biological/scientific facts and management practices and ethics.