Namibia announced on Monday plans to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, as part of a strategy to address severe food shortages caused by a crippling drought, according to a report from Reuters.
The initiative aims to distribute meat to communities struggling with hunger across southern Africa, the report explains.
According to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, the culling will take place in national parks and communal areas where animal populations have exceeded the available grazing and water resources.
The decision comes in the wake of one of the worst droughts the region has experienced in decades, which has left Namibia’s food reserves critically low.
United Nations data shows that Namibia depleted 84% of its food reserves last month, with nearly half of the country’s population expected to face high levels of food insecurity in the coming months.
“This exercise is crucial and aligns with our constitutional mandate to ensure that our natural resources benefit Namibian citizens,” stated the Ministry of Environment.
In addition to the 83 elephants, the cull will include 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebra, and 100 eland. The meat from this operation will be distributed to the country’s drought relief programs.
To date, 157 animals have already been culled by professional hunters and contracted companies, producing over 56,800 kilograms of meat.