Namibia plans to butcher 723 wild animals including zebras, hippos, impalas, and even 83 elephants, for meat!

Namibia is planning to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to feed the country amid the worst drought in a century, the New York Times has reported. Nearly half of the country’s 1.4 million people are in a hunger crisis. The move aims to provide food and reduce dangerous encounters between humans and wildlife due to scarce resources, the report added.

According to Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, the plan is “necessary” and aligns with the constitutional mandate to utilize natural resources for the benefit of Namibian citizens. The strategy of harvesting wild animals for food is not uncommon. Rose Mwebaza, director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Africa Office, stated, “Well-managed, sustainable harvesting of healthy wild animal populations can be a precious source of food for communities.”

Drought is impacting a significant portion of southern Africa. The U.N. World Food Program noted in June that over 30 million people in the region are affected. Benjamin Suarato, spokesperson for the U.S. Agency for International Development, mentioned that droughts are a familiar issue in southern Africa, with several occurring in the past decade, including from 2018 to 2021. However, this particular drought is especially severe and wide-reaching, said Juliane Zeidler, country director of the World Wildlife Fund in Namibia.

“There is no food,” Zeidler remarked. “There is no food for people and there is no food for animals.”

Namibia’s plan includes butchering 300 zebras, 30 hippos, 50 impalas, 60 buffaloes, 100 blue wildebeest, and 100 elands (a type of antelope). The nation is also attempting to lessen interactions between humans and wildlife, which are anticipated to rise during the drought as both seek water and vegetation. Namibia pointed to the lethal potential of elephants despite their herbivorous nature, noting a report from Reuters that elephants killed at least 50 people in Zimbabwe last year.

The United Nations recently highlighted the gravity of Namibia’s situation. A spokesperson stated last week that 84% of Namibia’s food resources were “already exhausted.”