Harare, Sept 18, 2024 – Zimbabwe is set to cull 200 elephants to provide food for communities suffering from severe hunger after the region’s worst drought in 40 years, authorities announced on Tuesday. The El Niño-induced drought has devastated southern Africa, affecting 68 million people and creating widespread food shortages.
“We can confirm plans to cull approximately 200 elephants across the country. We are currently working out the logistics,” said Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks). The meat from the culled elephants will be distributed to drought-affected communities in Zimbabwe.
The upcoming cull, the first since 1988, will take place in the districts of Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi. This follows Namibia’s decision last month to cull 83 elephants and distribute the meat to its own drought-stricken population.
Southern Africa, home to one of the world’s largest elephant populations, is estimated to house more than 200,000 elephants across five countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia. Zimbabwe alone holds over 84,000 elephants, despite its parks only being able to sustain 55,000.
“This is part of our effort to reduce overcrowding in the parks due to the drought. While we’re talking about 200 elephants, it’s a small fraction compared to the 84,000 in the country,” Farawo added.
Drought conditions also heighten the risk of human-wildlife conflict, with 50 people losing their lives to elephant attacks in Zimbabwe last year.
Earlier this year, Namibia announced plans to cull over 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants and numerous zebras, as part of efforts to address its own drought-fueled hunger crisis. The culling in Namibia is expected to target 723 animals in total, as the country battles food shortages caused by the ongoing drought.
