Namibia plans to euthanize more than 700 wild animals, including elephants, zebras, and hippos, and distribute the meat to people struggling with food insecurity as the country faces the worst drought in the last 100 years.
The list of animals to be killed includes 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impalas (medium-sized antelope), 100 so-called blue antelopes, and 300 zebras, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism announced on Monday.
They will come from national parks and wildlife areas with “sustainable numbers of game” and will be killed by professional hunters, the ministry stated in a press release.
The aim of the program is to help mitigate the effects of drought in the southwestern African country, the ministry said, according to CNNi.
Namibia declared a state of emergency in May as the impacts of the drought worsened. It is estimated that 1.4 million people – about half the population – are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity.
The plan will relieve pressure on water resources by reducing wildlife in areas where their numbers “exceed available grazing and water,” the ministry reported.
The goal is also to reduce the likelihood of conflicts between elephants and humans, which can increase during droughts when animals’ search for food and water may bring them into contact with people.
The country is struggling with drought
South Africa serves as a stronghold for elephants, with more than 200,000 living there. These animals have also been negatively affected by the drought: hundreds are believed to have died across the territory last year as the sources from which they drank water dried up.
Meat from other animals that are to be euthanized will also be distributed to those struggling with hunger, according to the ministry, which noted that people living in rural areas are among those particularly affected.
More than 150 animals have already been euthanized, providing a significant amount of meat, the ministry stated.
“We are glad to be able to help the country in this very difficult time and when it is absolutely necessary,” the statement said.
Namibia is one of several countries in southern Africa grappling with the devastating drought caused by El Niño – a natural climate phenomenon that has led to a sharp reduction in rainfall in the region – and exacerbated by the human-induced climate crisis.
The lack of rainfall combined with high temperatures has led to shrinking crops and soaring hunger levels for tens of millions of people in the region.