Namibia to cull hundreds of wild animals amid severe drought

Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (METF) has announced plans to cull 723 wild animals to support the government’s drought relief programme. In a statement, the ministry said it received the approval of its Cabinet and intends to provide game meat to help communities affected by the severe drought in the region.

The culling will include 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands. METF spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, says these animals will be sourced from national parks and communal areas with sustainable game numbers, such as Namib Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park, and Nkasa Rupara National Park.

“This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens.”

He also highlighted that the culling would help reduce grazing pressure and water scarcity by managing wildlife populations in areas where resources are limited.

“By reducing wildlife numbers in certain parks and communal areas where we believe the population exceeds the available grazing and water resources, we can better manage the current grazing pressure and water availability.”

In addition to addressing food shortages, the culling aims to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, particularly with elephants. Due to the ongoing drought, conflicts between humans and wildlife have increased, prompting the culling of 83 elephants from areas with high conflict rates. The elephants will be culled from several regions, including Kunene, Otjozondjupa, Erongo, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Kavango West, Kavango East, and Zambezi.

In a recent incident, a 48-year-old man was killed by elephants in Uukwaluudhi Conservancy on 25 August 2024.

#Namibia
Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism @MinistryofEnvi2
➡️ Update On the Culling of Wild-animals as a Result of Drought
Including
● 83 ● Elephants pic.twitter.com/CbGpVzYPPj
— City’s🐘 for Elephants & Rhinos🚩 (@CitysFElephants) August 26, 2024

Muyunda says the culling will be carried out by professional hunters contracted by the ministry and conservancies.

Animal rights activists have raised concerns about the culling and have started a petition calling for it to be stopped. Meanwhile, METF is urging Namibians to support ongoing conservation efforts and condemn illegal activities like poaching, which threaten the benefits of wildlife conservation.

“This underscores the significance of conservation in the country. The provision of meat improves on people’s nutrition and contributes to poverty reduction. This is in addition to other ongoing economic benefits such as employment creation and income generation enhanced by conservation of wildlife species and associated sectors such as tourism.”