Drama As Zimbabwe Set To Feed Hungry Citizens With 200 Elephants
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), confirmed the plan, stating, “We can confirm that we plan to cull about 200 elephants nationwide.
We are working on modalities on how we will do it.” The meat from these elephants will be distributed to drought-stricken communities across Zimbabwe.
Trek Africa Newspaper reports that this will be the first culling of elephants in Zimbabwe since 1988, with operations set to take place in Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi districts.
The decision follows Namibia’s recent culling of 83 elephants to aid those affected by similar conditions.
The southern African region, which includes Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia, is home to one of the world’s largest elephant populations, estimated at over 200,000.
Farawo noted that the culling is also aimed at reducing the population density in Zimbabwe’s parks, which can only support around 55,000 elephants, while the country is currently home to more than 84,000.
“This effort is part of our strategy to manage park congestion amid the drought,” Farawo explained. “The numbers we are discussing are relatively small compared to our total population.”
The severe drought has exacerbated human-wildlife conflicts, with Zimbabwe losing 50 people to elephant attacks last year. The country, known for its strong conservation practices and growing elephant population, has been advocating to the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to lift restrictions on ivory and live elephant trade.
