Due to severe drought, Namibia resorts to wild animals to feed drought victims

Arab Weather - The Ministry of Environment in Namibia announced its intention to slaughter 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to distribute their meat to those in need, in response to the severe drought that has swept through southern Africa. The ministry said in a statement on Monday that the slaughtering operations will take place in parks and public areas where the number of animals exceeds the available grazing land and water supplies.

Severe drought sweeps across Africa

Southern Africa is experiencing its worst drought in decades, with Namibia depleting 84% of its food reserves last month, according to the United Nations. Nearly half the country’s population is expected to face high levels of food insecurity in the coming months.

The Ministry of Environment stressed that human-wildlife conflicts could worsen due to drought if appropriate measures were not taken, adding that 83 elephants from specific areas experiencing these conflicts would be slaughtered, and the meat would be allocated to the drought relief programme.

In addition to the elephants, Namibia plans to slaughter 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebra and 100 eland. Professional hunters and government-contracted companies have already slaughtered 157 animals, producing more than 56,800 kilograms of meat.

The ministry said the move was in line with the constitution’s mandate to use natural resources for the benefit of Namibians. The region spanning five southern African countries, including Namibia, is estimated to be home to more than 200,000 elephants, making it one of the largest elephant populations in the world. Hundreds of elephants died in Botswana and Zimbabwe last year due to drought.

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