Zimbabwe plans to kill 200 elephants to feed communities suffering from the worst drought in 40 years, according to wildlife officials there.
The drought, caused by El Niño, has devastated southern Africa, leading to massive crop failures and leaving 68 million people facing food shortages.
Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), confirmed that they are working on the details of the elephant cull and that the meat will be given to communities hit hardest by the drought.
This will be Zimbabwe’s first elephant cull since 1988, targeting areas like Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi.
The decision follows Namibia’s recent move to cull 83 elephants to help those suffering from the drought.
Southern Africa has one of the largest elephant populations in the world, with over 200,000 elephants spread across countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia.
Zimbabwe alone has over 84,000 elephants, even though its parks can only support 55,000.
The cull aims to reduce pressure on these parks and address increasing conflicts between humans and elephants. Last year, 50 people in Zimbabwe were killed by elephants.
Zimbabwe, which has a history of conservation efforts, has been pushing for the UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to lift the ban on selling ivory and live elephants, as the country holds around $600 million in unsellable ivory stockpiles.
END
English 