IN a stark illustration of the severe impact of drought on both wildlife and human populations, Zimbabwe has announced plans to cull 200 elephants to feed communities facing acute hunger. This decision makes Zimbabwe the second country in Africa to resort to such measures, following Namibia’s recent culling of 800 animals to provide food for those in abject poverty.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) confirmed the planned cull, which will be the country’s first since 1988. Tinashe Farawo, Zimparks spokesperson, stated, “We can confirm that we are planning to cull about 200 elephants across the country. We are working on modalities on how we are going to do it.”
This drastic step comes in response to the worst drought in four decades, induced by El Niño weather patterns. The drought has devastated crops across southern Africa, affecting an estimated 68 million people and causing widespread food shortages throughout the region.
The cull will take place in four districts: Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi. The elephant meat will be distributed to drought-affected communities in Zimbabwe, mirroring Namibia’s approach of using culled wildlife to address food insecurity.
Zimbabwe is home to over 84,000 elephants, significantly exceeding the sustainable capacity of its parks, which is estimated at 55,000. Farawo emphasized that the cull serves a dual purpose: providing food for hungry communities and helping to manage the overpopulation of elephants in the country’s parks.
The decision highlights the complex challenges faced by countries with large elephant populations during times of extreme climate events. While Zimbabwe is praised for its conservation efforts and growing elephant numbers, it now grapples with the difficult balance between wildlife protection and human welfare.
This situation also underscores the increasing instances of human-wildlife conflict as resources become scarcer. Last year alone, Zimbabwe lost 50 people to elephant attacks, a grim statistic that further complicates conservation efforts.
As the drought continues to impact both humans and wildlife, the international community watches closely to see how countries like Zimbabwe and Namibia navigate these challenging circumstances, balancing immediate human needs with long-term conservation goals.
