Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, confirmed that permits will be given to communities to hunt elephants, and the agency will also contribute to the culling. “We will start culling as soon as we have finished issuing out permits,” Farawo stated.
The elephants targeted in Zimbabwe will come from areas where populations have become unsustainable, such as Hwange National Park in the arid western part of the country. Hwange houses more than 45,000 elephants but can only support 15,000. Zimbabwe’s total elephant population of around 100,000 is double the capacity of the national parks.
The El Nino weather phenomenon has worsened drought conditions, leading to the deaths of over 100 elephants by December, with more expected to die due to rising temperatures.
Last week, Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyoni approved the culling. “Indeed Zimbabwe has more elephants than we need, more elephants than our forestry can accommodate,” Nyoni said.
She added that the government is preparing a plan similar to Namibia’s to process and distribute the meat to communities in need.In Namibia, the government has approved the culling of 723 animals, including elephants, hippos, buffalos, impalas, zebras, and elands, to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in five of its national parks.”This is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,” said department spokesperson Romeo Muyunda. “This is also a prime example that conservation of game is really beneficial.”
Botswana, which neighbors Zimbabwe and Namibia and has the world’s largest elephant population at 130,000, has not announced similar measures.
Guyo Roba, a food security expert with the Jameel Observatory, said the actions by Zimbabwe and Namibia are understandable given their drought conditions and animal population issues. “They are working against a wildlife population that is above their carrying capacity,” Roba said. “So it may seem controversial initially, but the governments are torn between remaining faithful to some of their obligations at an international level in terms of conservation and supporting the population.”
