Culling - Good or bad?

Culling is often a very controversial  topic amongst the general public and there seems to be a lot of hearsay and speculation.  We decided to take a look at what it is and why it is done.

Basically, culling is the system of killing a particular species of wild game in order to keep the vegetation sufficiently healthy to feed the grazers.  If the vegetation does not recover between seasons, the animals will go hungry and become unhealthy.  Once you know how many animals your land can support per hectare then you can do a game count and the excess game can be hunted,  sold or culled. 

Before game land was fenced off and predators kept in enclosures, the predators could to a certain extent keep the natural balance and order going.  In many game reserves these days, the predators are fenced in and there is no room for these animals to hunt as nature intended.

Another reason to cull is to improve the genetics. If game farm owners do not cull certain animals and bring in fresh genes then the quality of animals they produce goes down.

Culling in South Africa forms an integral and necessary part of Nature Conservation and seasonal hunting is a common way of gaining an income while balancing nature.  

Hunting in South Africa is subject to very strict laws. But they protect the hunter and the conservationists alike and thus make it possible that a wide range of game can be hunted.

Do you have any comments about culling?  Are you for or against?