Namibia is planning to slaughter over 700 wild animals as the country battles with the worst drought in 100 years.
According to CNN, Namibian authorities have announced that the meat of slaughtered animals will be distributed among the people battling extreme food insecurity.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism said in a press release that the animals decided to be killed include 300 zebras, 100 blue wildebeests, 83 elephants, 60 buffalo, 50 impalas, and 30 hippos.
As per the ministry, the animals will come from the national parks and communal areas, and professionals will slaughter them.
The objective of this program is to ease the suffering of the people caused by drought in the southwest African country.
The ministry asserted, “This exercise (is) necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens.”
It further added, “With the severe drought situation in the country, conflicts are expected to increase if no interventions are made.”
Moreover, one of the reasons behind killing elephants is to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflict, which increases during droughts when animals search for food and water.
The ministry said, “To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, and meat will be allocated to the drought relief program.”
Furthermore, Namibia declared an emergency in May after the drought got worse. It is estimated that around 1.4 million people in the country will face a high to acute level of food insecurity.
