Zimbabwe plans to cull 200 elephants to provide food for communities facing severe hunger due to the worst drought in four decades. The El Niño-induced drought has devastated crops across southern Africa, impacting 68 million people in the region.
Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), confirmed the plan, stating that the elephant meat will be distributed to drought-affected communities. The cull, the first since 1988, will take place in Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi districts.
Zimbabwe's national parks, which can sustain only 55,000 elephants, currently house over 84,000, making the cull necessary to decongest the parks and reduce human-wildlife conflict, which has led to 50 deaths from elephant attacks last year.
Zimbabwe has been advocating for the U.N.'s CITES to lift the ban on ivory and live elephant trade, as the country holds approximately $600 million worth of ivory stockpiles.
No comments:
Post a Comment