This Country Will Hunt Elephants, Zebras And Nil Horses: The Meat Is For People Affected By Drought

Elephants and zebras in Namibia. (Wikimedia Commons/Buiobuione)

Namibia plans to destroy 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, for meat then distributed to people who have difficulty finding food due to severe drought across southern Africa, the environment ministry said.

The culling will be carried out in parks and public areas where authorities say the number of animals exceeds the available grazing ground and water supplies, he said in a statement issued on Monday.

"For this purpose, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be destroyed, (and) the meat will be allocated to drought relief programs," the ministry said.

The country also plans to destroy 30 hippos and 60 buffalo, as well as 50 imalas, 100 blue wild deer, 300 zebras, and 100 eland.

One hundred and fifty-seven animals have been hunted by professional hunters and companies contracted by the government, resulting in more than 56,800 kilograms of meat.

"This exercise is necessary and in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of the people of Namibia," said the ministry of the environment.

southern Africa is facing its worst drought in decades, with Namibia having spent 84 percent of its food reserves last month, according to the United Nations.

Nearly half of the Namibia population is expected to experience a high level of food vulnerability in the coming months.

With such a severe drought, wild human-satist conflicts are expected to increase if the authorities do not intervene, the environment ministry said.

It is known, more than 200,000 elephants are thought to live in conservation areas spread across five southern African countries - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Namibia - making wilay