Zimbabwe Takes Controversial Step: 200 Elephants To Be Killed To Help Feed The Hungry

Zimbabwe Takes Controversial Step: 200 Elephants To Be Killed To Help Feed The Hungry

The Zimbabwean government has sanctioned the killing of 200 elephants to help address severe food shortages caused by a prolonged drought. This measure is aimed at both feeding the population and mitigating the damage caused by elephants in local communities…….CONTINUE READING 

Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, confirmed the decision to CNN on Monday. “We are targeting to cull 200 elephants,” Farawo stated, citing the increasing conflict between humans and wildlife. He noted recent incidents, including the death of a woman last week due to an elephant attack, as part of the rationale behind the culling.

This year, local reports indicate that at least 30 people have been killed in wildlife-human conflicts in Zimbabwe. Farawo also mentioned that the culling is intended to help manage the population of elephants, as Zimbabwe’s national parks are designed to support only 55,000 elephants, while the current population exceeds 84,000.

United Nations data highlights that over seven million people in Zimbabwe face acute hunger, prompting the UN to categorize the country as a major hunger hotspot. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in August that food insecurity in Zimbabwe is worsening due to historic droughts linked to the El Niño weather pattern.

This decision follows a similar move by the Namibian government, which recently adopted elephant culling measures to address food insecurity and wildlife-human conflicts exacerbated by drought.