WINDHOEK, Namibia. Namibia’s government announced plans to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to support its drought relief efforts in response to an escalating drought crisis that has gripped southern Africa. The environment ministry stated that the meat from these animals would be distributed to communities severely impacted by food shortages.
The culling operation is set to take place in parks and communal areas where wildlife populations have outgrown the available grazing land and water resources. The ministry emphasized that this decision is driven by the need to address both the environmental strain and the humanitarian crisis caused by the worst drought in decades.
“To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, and the meat will be allocated to the drought relief program,” the ministry confirmed in a statement issued on Monday.
The drought, which has exhausted 84% of Namibia’s food reserves as of last month, is expected to lead nearly half of the country’s population into high levels of food insecurity in the coming months, according to the United Nations. With limited food and water supplies, human-wildlife conflicts are anticipated to rise, prompting the government’s intervention.
In addition to elephants, the culling plan includes 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebra, and 100 eland. Already, professional hunters and government-contracted companies have culled 157 animals, providing over 56,800 kilograms of meat for those affected by the drought.
“This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,” the environment ministry stated, underscoring the importance of the cull in supporting the nation’s population during this crisis.
Namibia is part of a conservation area that spans five southern African countries—Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia—which collectively house one of the world’s largest elephant populations, estimated at over 200,000. Despite this significant wildlife heritage, the severe drought has made difficult choices inevitable as the government seeks to balance conservation with the urgent needs of its people.\
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
