Zimbabwe’s wildlife authorities announced on Tuesday plans to cull 200 elephants as the country grapples with a severe drought that has devastated crops and left communities facing acute hunger.
The drought, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, is impacting approximately 68 million people across southern Africa.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the culling plan, telling the media that the authorities are currently working on the modalities for the exercise.
“We can confirm that we are planning to cull about 200 elephants across the country,” Farawo said.
The elephant meat is intended to be distributed to drought-affected communities.
This cull marks the first time Zimbabwe has resorted to such measures since 1988.
The targeted areas include Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi districts, which have been particularly hard-hit by the drought.
The decision follows a similar move in neighbouring Namibia, which recently announced plans to cull 83 elephants to provide meat for its own struggling communities.
Zimbabwe is home to over 84,000 elephants, making it one of the countries with the largest elephant populations in the world.
Farawo explained that the culling is also part of a broader strategy to decongest national parks, which are currently strained under the weight of an elephant population far exceeding the sustainable capacity of 55,000.
JN/APA