Severe Drought Leads to Massive Elephant Killings in Zimbabwe and Namibia
In Zimbabwe and Namibia, hundreds of wildlife creatures, including elephants, are to be terminated due to the severe food shortage affecting local communities. Tinashe Farawo, a representative from Zimbabwe's National Parks Authority, declared that communities in drought-stricken Southern Africa will be permitted to hunt and consume elephant meat. A total of 200 elephants will be allowed to be hunted in Zimbabwe.
Just a few weeks earlier, Namibia announced a plan to exterminate over 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants.
According to Farawo, the hunt will commence as soon as the necessary permits are granted. This practice will only be implemented in areas where the animal populations have surpassed their capacity. Elephants will specifically be targeted in national parks like Hwange, where they aggressively compete with humans for water and food resources.
Hwange Park currently houses over 45,000 elephants, but it can only comfortably support 15,000 of them, mentioned Farawo. In total, Zimbabwe has twice the numeric capability for its national parks to support in terms of elephant population. Last week, the Environmental Minister, Sithembiso Nyoni, authorized the killing of elephants, considering Zimbabwe's excess of elephants and their limited capacity to accommodate them.
Apart from the 83 elephants in Namibia, other animals such as 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 300 zebras, and 100 eland antelopes are scheduled to be slaughtered as well. "This action is justified even as it aligns with our constitutional mandate for utilizing our natural assets to benefit Namibian citizens," stated Romeo Muyunda, Namibia's Ministry of Environment spokesperson.
Though Botswana, situated between Zimbabwe and Namibia, hosts the world's leading elephant population of 130,000, it has yet to show intentions of slaughtering elephants to sustain its own people.
The following decision by Zimbabwe's Environmental Minister, Sithembiso Nyoni, authorizes the killing of excess elephants due to the national parks' limited capacity to accommodate them. As Romeo Muyunda, Namibia's Ministry of Environment spokesperson, claimed, this action is justified as it benefits Namibian citizens, aligning with their constitutional mandate to utilize their natural assets.
