Namibian authorities have announced the slaughter of 723 wild animals, including elephants, zebras and hippos, to distribute their meat to drought victims. The Ministry of Environment argues that in the face of a catastrophic drought and the use of a large food reserve, conflicts between humans and animals could escalate. Almost 160 of them have been shot so far.
Southern Africa is suffering its worst drought in decades, and UN data shows that by the end of July, Namibia had used up 84 percent of its food reserves. About half of the population is food insecure. The Ministry of Environment says that if authorities do not intervene in the face of such a severe drought, conflicts between humans and wildlife can be expected to worsen.
So far, 157 animals have been hunted, from which the government has obtained 56.8 thousand kilograms of meat. “This action is necessary and consistent with our constitutional mandate that the country's natural resources are used for the benefit of the citizens of Namibia,” the ministry explained in a statement on Monday.
They plan to slaughter over 700 animals
The Namibian environment ministry plans to kill a total of 723 wild animals in areas where, according to authorities, there are too many animals for the resources of pastures and drinking water. They are to include 200 zebras, 83 elephants, 60 buffalo, 30 hippos, as well as antelopes of numerous species.
The protected area, which spans five southern African countries – Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Namibia – is estimated to be home to more than 200,000 elephants. Drought in Botswana and Zimbabwe killed hundreds of them last year, Reuters reported.
Animals in Etosha National Park in NamibiaShutterstock
They are starving because of the drought
A report published this year by the Namibian government shows that 1.4 million people, almost half of the country's population, are struggling with food shortages. This corresponds to 341,855 households. More than 85,000 people are in such a bad situation that they could soon starve to death, according to an analysis by the World Food Programme, a UN agency.
Main image source: Shutterstock