Zimbabwe to cull 200 elephants to feed people left hungry by drought
Zimbabweplans tocull200elephantstofeedcommunities facing acute hunger after the worstdroughtin four decades, wildlife authorities said on Tuesday.
The El Nino-induceddroughtwiped out crops in southern Africa, impacting68 millionpeopleand causing food shortages across the region.
“We can confirm that we are planning tocullabout200elephantsacross the country. We are working on modalities on how we are going to do it,” Tinashe Farawo,ZimbabweParks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks spokesperson, told Reuters.
He said the elephant meat would be distributed to communities inZimbabweaffected by thedrought.
Thecull, the first in the country since 1988, will take place in Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho and Chiredzi districts. It follows neighbouring Namibia’s decision last month tocull83elephantsand distribute meat topeopleimpacted by thedrought.
Read:Namibia to slaughter 723 wild animals as hunger crisis worsens
More than200,000elephantsare estimated to live in a conservation area spread over five southern African countries -Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Namibia – making the region home to one of the largest elephant populations worldwide.
Farawo said theculling is also part of the country’s efforts to decongest its parks, which can only sustain 55,000elephants.Zimbabweis home to over 84,000elephants.
“It’s an effort to decongest the parks in the face ofdrought. The numbers are just a drop in the ocean because we are talking of200(elephants and we are sitting on plus 84,000, which is big,” he said.
With such a severedrought, human-wildlife conflicts can escalate as resources become scarcer. Last yearZimbabwelost 50peopleto elephantattacks.
The country, which is lauded for its conservation efforts and growing its elephant population, has been lobbying the UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites to reopen trade of ivory and liveelephants.
With one of the largest elephant populations,Zimbabwehas about $600,000 worth of ivory stockpiles which it cannot sell.
