Nambia plans to cull 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 culled includes 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas (medium-sized antelopes), 100 so-called blue antelopes, and 300 zebras, the country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced on Monday.
The animals will come from national parks and open areas with “sustainable game numbers” and will be killed by professional hunters, the ministry said in a press release.
The aim of the program is to help mitigate the effects of drought in the southwestern African country, the ministry stated, according to CNNi.
Nambia 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 noted.
The goal is also to reduce the likelihood of conflicts between elephants and people, which may increase during the drought when the animals’ search for food and water can bring them into contact with humans.
The country battles drought
South Africa is 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 they drink from dried up.
Meat from other animals scheduled to be culled will also be distributed to those struggling with hunger, according to the ministry, which highlighted that people living in rural areas are particularly affected.
More than 150 animals have already been culled, providing a significant amount of meat, the ministry stated.
“We are glad to be able to assist the country at this very difficult time and when it is absolutely necessary,” the announcement stated.
Nambia is one of several countries in southern Africa struggling with the devastating drought caused by El Niño – a natural climate phenomenon that led to a sharp reduction in rainfall in the region – and exacerbated by the human-caused 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 area.