83 elephants, 30 hippos and many more wild animals to be culled for meat in drought-hit Namibia
Ben Madilynn
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said more than 700 animals have been earmarked, including 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 100 elands and 300 zebras. It said they will come from national parks that have sustainable game populations.
“This will assist in managing the current grazing pressure and water availability by reducing wildlife numbers in some parks where we feel numbers exceed available grazing and water, while also providing much-needed food to vulnerable communities,” ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda said in a statement on Friday.
#Namibia #MEFT @MinistryofEnvi2
15 elephants are to be killed. 1 of them a trophy. Probably the only Desert Adapted Elephant big bull is #Bennie after the killing of #VOORTREKKER 2019.
Photo #Bennie Text by :https://t.co/JzW6xjaIX5
Photo Christin Winter
Voortrekker L & Bennie R pic.twitter.com/rQQy0e3sIs— City’s🐘 for Elephants & Rhinos🚩 (@CitysFElephants) August 22, 2024
Also read: Nearly 90% of Himalayas to witness year-long drought at 3 degrees warming, a study suggests
The southwest African nation, which is one of the most sparsely-populated on earth, will take animals from the Namib Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara National Park.
Namibia is currently facing severe drought conditions, straining agriculture and conservation. The semi-arid nation declared a state of emergency in May with nearly half of its 3 million people facing severe food insecurity.
