HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Amid a severe drought affecting southern Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia have unveiled a controversial plan to cull wild elephants and other wildlife to provide food for residents suffering from hunger. The situation has been exacerbated by climate conditions linked to the El Niño phenomenon, leading to a dramatic decline in available resources like water and food.
The Zimbabwean government announced on Monday its decision to allow the culling of 200 elephants to distribute their meat to vulnerable communities. Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, informed that permits would be issued to communities in need to hunt elephants. Additionally, the parks authority itself would be responsible for culling part of this total.
Farawo explained that the elephants would be culled from areas where their populations have exceeded sustainable levels. For instance, in Hwange National Park, which currently houses over 45,000 elephants, the land can only support around 15,000. Zimbabwe’s overall elephant population is estimated at 100,000, which is significantly higher than what the national parks can accommodate sustainably.
In Namibia, the government has recently embarked on a similar initiative, aiming to cull over 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants. This decision, announced three weeks ago, is part of a larger effort to address both the consequences of drought and the ongoing conflicts between wildlife and local communities.
According to Namibia’s environment department spokesman, Romeo Muyunda, this measure aligns with their constitutional mandate, ensuring that the nation’s natural resources are utilized for the benefit of local citizens. He emphasized that this initiative reflects a responsible approach to the conservation of wildlife while addressing pressing humanitarian needs.
In Zimbabwe, Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyoni confirmed her approval of the culling program in Parliament last week. She stated that the country holds more elephants than its environment can sustain and outlined plans to mobilize local women to process and distribute the meat effectively.
As the drought continues to worsen, with reports indicating that over 100 elephants died last December due to lack of water, further losses are expected in the coming weeks. Authorities recognize the urgent need to act as the region enters its hottest season.
Unlike Zimbabwe and Namibia, Botswana—home to the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at 130,000—has not proposed similar measures to cull elephants. Guyo Roba, a food security and agricultural expert from the Jameel Observatory in Kenya, characterized the actions of Zimbabwe and Namibia as understandable, given their unique challenges with wildlife populations exceeding their environment’s carrying capacity.
Roba remarked, “While these measures might initially seem contentious, governments are faced with a difficult balancing act between international conservation obligations and the pressing needs of their populations.”
