Zimbabwe is planning to cull 200 elephants to provide food for communities severely affected by the worst drought the region has seen in four decades, according to wildlife officials. The El Niño-induced drought has devastated crops across southern Africa, leaving around 68 million people facing food shortages.
Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), confirmed the plan, stating in a Reuters report, “We are working on the logistics for how this will be carried out.” The elephant meat will be distributed to drought-stricken communities across the country.
This will be the first elephant cull in Zimbabwe since 1988. The cull is set to take place in several districts, including Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi. It follows neighboring Namibia’s decision to cull 83 elephants last month for similar reasons.
Zimbabwe, home to more than 84,000 elephants, is facing the challenge of managing its parks, which can only sustain 55,000 elephants. “It’s an effort to decongest the parks in the face of drought,” Farawo said, adding, “The numbers are just a drop in the ocean because we are sitting on plus 84,000.”
The culling is also part of broader conservation efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, which have increased due to limited resources. Last year, 50 people in Zimbabwe were killed in elephant attacks.
Zimbabwe, praised for its conservation initiatives, has been pushing the U.N.’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to reopen trade in ivory and live elephants. The country holds approximately $600 million worth of ivory stockpiles that it is currently prohibited from selling.