Zimbabwe's wildlife authority has announced plans to cull around 200 elephants to address a severe food shortage triggered by the ongoing drought.
The move intended to provide sustenance to residents facing hunger, has sparked debate among conservationists who argue for alternative approaches.
The drought, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, has devastated crops across southern Africa, with the World Food Programme predicting that 7.6 million Zimbabweans will experience food insecurity from January to April next year.
The culling is being framed by authorities as a necessary intervention to alleviate both human suffering and the growing pressure on Zimbabwe’s overburdened national parks.
It’s estimated that Zimbabwe is home to nearly 100,000 African elephants (Loxodonta species), but speaking in parliament on August 11, the country’s environment minister Sithembiso Nyoni said that was “more elephants than it needed”, the Guardian reported.
While the wildlife authority views the culling as a dual solution to both the food crisis and the environmental strain, many conservationists are opposed to the decision. Critics argue that the cull is a short-term fix that may have lasting consequences.
This is not the first time the region has resorted to such measures. Namibia, which is also battling its worst drought in decades, recently culled 83 elephants and plans to kill hundreds more in the coming months.
This is not the first instance of elephant culling in Zimbabwe. The first significant cull occurred in 1965 due to concerns over the impact on vegetation following a population surge driven by increased access to water. Additional culls took place throughout the 1980s, with the most recent one in 1988.
The increasingly harsh climate conditions are forcing governments to make difficult choices, but experts warn that without sustainable solutions, these problems will only worsen.
IOL