Namibia To Slaughter 83 Elephants And Provide Meat To Drought-Affected People

Namibia, with the aim of assisting people facing severe drought in southern Africa, has outlined plans to cull a total of 723 wild animals, among them 83 elephants, in designated parks and communal areas. This approach has been deemed necessary in locations where the existing animal populations surpass the capacity of the available grazing lands and water resources, as specified by the environment ministry.

Southern Africa is facing its worst drought in decades

Southern Africa, including countries like Namibia, is currently experiencing one of the most severe droughts in recent history. Last month, Namibia was particularly hard hit by this crisis, depleting a staggering 84% of its food reserves, emphasizing the urgent need for international aid and support to combat the dire food security situation in the region.

Nearly half of the population is expected to experience high food insecurity, which poses a significant challenge to communities across the nation. The environment ministry warns that such conditions may lead to a rise in human-wildlife conflicts, emphasizing the urgent need for authorities to intervene promptly to mitigate these potential risks.

It said “To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, (and) meat will be allocated to the drought relief programme,”

One hundred and fifty-seven animals have already been hunted

The country plans to cull 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebra, and 100 eland, with 147 animals already hunted by professional hunters and government-contractual companies, yielding over 56,800 kilograms of meat.

The Environment ministry stated “This exercise in necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,”

One of the greatest elephant populations in the world is found in the southern African countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia, where over 200,000 elephants are thought to reside in a protection area.

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