Drought-Stricken African Countries to Cull Elephant Population

The southern African country of Zimbabwe announced plans this week to cull, or hunt and kill, some of its elephants. Meat from the elephants would be used to feed people in drought -plagued places where food is scarce. 

Elephants are a treasured symbol of Zimbabwe's long-term conservation efforts. But the country faces a grim picture. Climate change is causing temperatures to soar. In turn, resources can become scarce. The country is home to nearly 100,000 elephants. That’s double what the country's national parks can sustain, officials told The Associated Press. 

“Indeed, Zimbabwe has more elephants than we need,” the nation's environment minister said. “More elephants than our forestry can (handle).”   

Without enough food or water, park officials fear that elephants will sicken and die. That could spread disease. Hungry elephants may also wander into villages. This makes dangerous animal-human run-ins more likely. By culling part of the population, officials hope the strain on resources will wane.  

This is crucial, Romeo Muyunda said. He's an environment department spokesman. He said the cull is in line with the country's laws. They state that natural resources are to be used to aid people. “This is also a prime example that conservation of game is really beneficial,” Muyunda added.

Namibia is Zimbabwe’s neighbor to the west. In August, Namibia also approved culling many species across its national parks. That included 83 elephants.

Reflect: How might people balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of local communities when facing challenges like limited resources or environmental changes?

Photo of African elephants from Unsplash courtesy of Dillon Groves.