By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 700 wild animals, including elephants, zebras and hippos are set to be be slaughtered and distributed as meat to the communities struggling with food insecurity, Forestry and Tourism ministry has announced.
This comes amidst escalating drought in the southwest African country, an extreme weather condition described as the worst in the last 100 years.
The animals to be killed include 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest and 300 zebras, the ministry added.
They will come from national parks and communal areas with “sustainable game numbers” and will be killed by professional hunters, the ministry said in a press release.
According to the ministry, the programme is aiming to help alleviate the impacts of drought in the country.
Namibia declared a state of emergency in May as the impacts of drought worsened.
An estimated 1.4 million people, about half of the population are expected to face high levels of acute food shortage.
The culling of the aminals will take pressure off water resources by reducing wildlife in areas where their numbers “exceed available grazing and water,” the ministry said.
It also aims to reduce the potential for conflicts between elephants and humans, which can increase during drought when animals’ search for food and water can bring them into contact with people.
Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages as extreme drought and floods sweep across the country.
“To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, (and) meat will be allocated to the drought relief programme,” the ministry said.
Southern Africa is a stronghold for elephants, home to more than 200,000.
The animals have also been negatively affected by drought, with hundreds believed to have died across the region last year as their water sources dried up.
Meat from other animals set to be killed will also be distributed to those struggling with hunger, according to the ministry, which pointed to people living in rural areas as being particularly affected.
Namibia is one of several countries across southern Africa struggling with devastating drought driven by El Niño — a natural climate pattern which has led to sharply reduced rainfall in the region.
