Zimbabwe has ordered the culling of 200 elephants as the country grapples with an unprecedented drought leading to food shortages, according to a report by The Guardian. The government claims this move is necessary to manage the country's burgeoning elephant population.
Sithembiso Nyoni, Zimbabwe's environment minister, told Voice of America that the country has "more elephants than it needed." The government has instructed the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) to begin the culling process in areas where elephants have clashed with humans, including Hwange, home to Zimbabwe's largest natural reserve.
Fulton Mangwanya, director general of ZimParks, explained that the 200 elephants would be hunted in conflict-prone areas. Zimbabwe is home to an estimated 100,000 elephants, the second-largest population globally after Botswana. Conservation efforts have led to Hwange housing 65,000 elephants, more than four times its capacity, according to ZimParks.
The decision comes as Zimbabwe, along with other southern African countries, faces severe drought conditions. Approximately 42% of Zimbabweans live in poverty, based on UN estimates, and authorities predict that about 6 million people will require food assistance during the upcoming lean season from November to March.
Minister Nyoni outlined plans for the culled elephants, stating, "We are having a discussion with ZimParks and some communities to do like what Namibia has done, so that we can cull the elephants and mobilize the women to maybe dry the meat, package it, and ensure that it gets to some communities that need the protein."
However, the decision has faced criticism from some quarters. Farai Maguwu, director of the nonprofit Centre for Natural Resource Governance, argued, "Government must have more sustainable eco-friendly methods to dealing with drought without affecting tourism." He warned that the cull "risk[s] turning away tourists on ethical grounds. The elephants are more profitable alive than dead."
Conversely, Chris Brown, CEO of the Namibian Chamber of Environment, defended the cull, saying elephants have a "devastating effect on habitat if they are allowed to increase continually, exponentially." He added, "They really damage ecosystems and habitats, and they have a huge impact on other species which are less iconic and therefore matter less in the eyes of the Eurocentric, urban armchair conservation people."
Zimbabwe last culled elephants in 1988. The current decision follows Namibia's recent announcement of culling over 700 wildlife animals, including 83 elephants, to cope with its worst drought in decades.
