Zimbabwe is planning to cull 200 elephants to feed communities facing extreme hunger due to a severe drought caused by El Nino. The decision follows a similar move by Namibia, where 83 elephants were culled and their meat distributed to those impacted by the drought. The cull will take place in various districts and is the first in Zimbabwe since 1988. The country is home to over 84,000 elephants, far exceeding the sustainable number they can support.
The culling is also seen as a way to decongest the country’s parks, with efforts to manage the growing elephant population in the region. With scarce resources due to the drought, human-wildlife conflicts can escalate, with 50 people in Zimbabwe losing their lives to elephant attacks last year. Despite its conservation efforts and growing elephant population, Zimbabwe has been lobbying for the reopening of ivory and live elephant trade.
The region, which is home to over 200,000 elephants spread across five countries, is facing challenges to manage the growing population in the face of increasingly frequent droughts. The decision to cull elephants for food highlights the desperate situation faced by communities in Zimbabwe due to the drought and highlights the need for sustainable strategies to manage both wildlife populations and address food shortages.
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