The Namibian government will kill 723 animals, including elephants, zebras and hippos, to provide meat for the population and “alleviate” food insecurity caused by a severe drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon in southern Africa.
“The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism will provide 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 eland to support the drought relief programme with meat supplies,” the Namibian government said in a statement issued on Monday and reported in the press on Tuesday.
The animals will be brought from the Namib Naukluft (west), Mangetti (north), Bwabwata, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara (northeast) national parks.
“The National Conference on Animal-Wildlife Conflict Management held in 2023 decided, among other things, that there is a need to reduce the number of elephants as a measure to help reduce the incidence of animal-wildlife conflict,” the Namibian executive representative stressed.
The trapping will be carried out by professional hunters and safari companies and is expected to help reduce the negative impact of the drought on wildlife conservation.
More than 30 million people in southern Africa have been hit by a severe drought caused by El Niño, the United Nations announced in early June, calling for help to avoid food insecurity.
The increasing impact of the weather phenomenon has led to a severe rainfall deficit in South Africa, where temperatures are five degrees above average.
In fact, in 2024, the region recorded its driest February in a century, receiving only 20% of the normal rainfall predicted for the period.
Even before the drought, levels of food insecurity and humanitarian needs were high due to socio-economic challenges, high food prices and the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.
Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are struggling with the effects of drought, with the latter four countries declaring a state of emergency.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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