Namibia plans to cull over 700 wild animals, including elephants, zebras, and hippos, to provide meat for those struggling with food insecurity amid the country’s worst drought in a century.
The cull will involve 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, and 300 zebras, as announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism on Monday.
The animals will be sourced from national parks and communal areas with sustainable populations and will be culled by professional hunters, according to a ministry press release.
The program aims to mitigate the drought’s effects in Namibia, the ministry stated.
In May, Namibia declared a state of emergency as drought conditions worsened, with an estimated 1.4 million people – about half the population – expected to experience severe food insecurity.
The culling program aims to ease pressure on water resources by reducing wildlife numbers in areas where they exceed the available grazing and water, according to the ministry.
It also seeks to lessen the risk of human-elephant conflicts, which can escalate during drought as animals venture closer to people in search of food and water.
“To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, (and) meat will be allocated to the drought relief programme,” the ministry said.
Southern Africa is a key habitat for elephants, with over 200,000 residing in the region. These elephants have also suffered from drought, with hundreds believed to have died last year due to depleted water sources.
Meat from other culled animals will also be distributed to those facing hunger, especially in rural areas, the ministry noted.
Over 150 animals have already been culled, yielding more than 125,000 pounds of meat, according to the ministry.
“We are happy that we can assist the country in this very difficult time and when it’s absolutely needed,” it said.
Namibia is among several southern African nations grappling with severe drought caused by El Niño – a natural climate pattern that has significantly reduced rainfall – and worsened by the human-induced climate crisis.
The combination of scant rainfall and extreme heat has resulted in withered crops and rising hunger levels for tens of millions of people in the region.