I actually disagree with the title of this thread, as I don't think anyone involved is stupid. The farmers doing the culling are likely misinformed (as people often are about local wildlife) while the politicians authorizing it may either be misinformed, purposely allowing reprehensible acts to occur for their own political gain, or both.
Either way, it is a tragic story and I hope these actions are reversed soon. I hate seeing a conservation success story backslide so drastically like this...