The African country of Namibia announced that it plans to cull more than 700 wild animals in order to distribute the meat to hungry people suffering through the worst drought in a century.
Most Americans think of the animals the country will slaughter as exotic creatures only seen in zoos, but these “zoo animals” roam the Namibian countryside naturally. Among the beasts that will be killed are elephants, hippos, zebras, impalas, and wildebeests, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.
The ministry said they have one goal: to stop humans from starving. The animals will be rounded up from both natural parks and wild areas that the country deems to have “sustainable game numbers.” Only professional hunters will be allowed to participate in the cull.
The food situation is dire as Namibia struggles through a continuing drought. The government declared it an emergency this past May, and as many as 1.4 million people are expected to be short of food. That’s fully half the human population.
The cull will not only help feed people, but it will also leave more water to go around for man and beast alike. The ministry says the areas they’re focusing on for the cull have excess numbers of animals, and more than the grass and water can sustain anyway.
This may have the side benefit of reducing violent contact between, for example, humans and elephants. Humans and wild beasts often have to compete for the same water and food in Africa. The ministry has targeted 83 elephants for slaughter as part of the drought-relief efforts.
There are more than 200,000 wild elephants in Namibia; the species’ population will not be endangered. Wildlife experts believe hundreds of them have died already from thirst and starvation as the usual watering holes are now dried-up spots in the sere earth.
So far more than 150 of the total 700 animals targeted have been culled, with the meat going to people living in the poorest rural areas hardest hit by the lack of water. This amounts to 125,000 pounds of meat.
Namibia is just one of several southern African countries suffering droughts brought on by El Niño, a cyclical weather pattern that spans much of the globe. Without rain, what crops can be persuaded to sprout just dry up into brown husks.
