Namibia is set to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to provide meat for people facing severe food shortages due to an ongoing drought.
The decision follows reports from the United Nations indicating that Namibia has depleted 84% of its food reserves.
According to the Environment Ministry, the culling will occur in national parks and communal areas where wildlife populations are believed to exceed the capacity of available grazing land and water supplies.
Southern Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades, leading to significant food insecurity, with nearly half of Namibia’s population expected to struggle to secure adequate food in the coming months.
In addition to the elephants, the plan includes culling 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebra, and 100 eland.
The environment ministry warns that conflicts between humans and wildlife will likely escalate without intervention.
The ministry stated, “To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, and meat will be allocated to the drought relief program.”
So far, 157 animals have already been hunted by licensed professional hunters, yielding over 56,800 kilograms of meat.
The environment ministry emphasized that this culling exercise aligns with its constitutional mandate to utilize natural resources to benefit Namibian citizens.
Southern Africa is home to more than 200,000 elephants, spread across conservation areas in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia, representing one of the largest elephant populations globally.
Last year, drought conditions led to the deaths of hundreds of elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe, highlighting the severe impact of the current climate crisis on wildlife.
Read more Elephant News.
