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Namibia is currently grappling with its most severe drought in a century, leading to widespread food insecurity and necessitating drastic measures to support its population.
In response to this crisis, the Namibian government has approved a plan to slaughter 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, as part of a broader drought relief program. This decision, outlined in the Namibia Livelihood Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Report, directs the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism to provide meat to those affected by the drought. The animals slated for slaughter will be sourced from various national parks and communal areas where their populations have exceeded the available resources. These areas include Namib Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park, and Nkasa Rupara National Park.
The government maintains that this measure is essential for sustainable wildlife management and mitigating the drought's impact on both humans and animals. The severity of the situation is underscored by reports from the United Nations, indicating that Namibia had depleted 84% of its food reserves by July. Nearly half of the country's population is anticipated to face high levels of food insecurity in the near future. The prolonged drought has not only diminished food supplies but also intensified human-wildlife conflicts as animals venture closer to human settlements in search of sustenance. By culling elephants from identified conflict areas, the government aims to address these issues while providing relief to affected communities.
In addition to elephants, the culling plan encompasses a range of other species, including hippos, buffalos, impalas, blue wildebeest, zebras, and elands. To date, professional hunters and government-contracted companies have already culled 157 animals, yielding over 56,800 kilograms of meat for distribution to those in need. This effort has helped alleviate some of the immediate food shortages faced by vulnerable populations. The Namibian government has defended its controversial decision by citing its constitutional mandate to utilize natural resources for the benefit of its citizens. Officials argue that the culling aligns with sustainable wildlife management practices and is necessary to ensure the well-being of both human and animal populations during this unprecedented drought.
The crisis in Namibia is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather events affecting southern Africa, driven by climate change and exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon. The region has experienced significantly reduced rainfall and scorching temperatures, resulting in crop failures and rising hunger levels. In May, Namibia declared a state of emergency as the drought's impacts intensified, with an estimated 1.4 million people—approximately half the population—expected to face acute food insecurity.
The culling program aims to alleviate pressure on water resources by reducing wildlife populations in areas where they exceed available grazing and water supplies. It also seeks to mitigate potential conflicts between elephants and humans, which tend to escalate during droughts when animals' search for resources brings them into closer contact with human settlements. Southern Africa is home to one of the world's largest elephant populations. However, these animals have also suffered from the drought, with hundreds believed to have perished across the region last year due to water scarcity.
Comments
Just be glad that there are no other "animals" above us that would do such a thing to us human beings...
Interestingly, our biggest "enemy" apart from diseases are our fellow human beings. Think of what is happening in Russia,or the Israel -Arab war.Heck you dont have to even go that far.Look at Sudan,or our neighbor the Somalis,and their Alshabab...
We have created weapons that can kill us' en masse'.Are we crazy!
@Guest, clearly, you have never seen or tasted food in other countries. Do you know that dogs in Namibia are like chickens in Western? If don't guard your dog closely there, it will end up on someone's dinner table. The Biblical test for 'clean' animals to eat are that they should have hooves, and chew cud. So many wild animals are 'clean'to eat. Here in the US, I decided not to be buying strange foods, after sampling a wild bird I had bought in Walmart. But only because its taste was disgusting.
Read your comment carefully it boggles the mind that you clearly missed the point or it is beyond your intellectual capabilities What I eat or the countries I have been to is really none of your business furthermore you do not have to be a cook to criticize the cooking.Domestic animals are there to provide sustenance to humans no need to kill wildlife under the guise they are starving so are the hens,cows goats sheep humans etc.Period end of story.
They cannot be culling wildlife if they still have domestic animals which can sustain them. The article says that the wildlife will die anyway, because of lack of pasture. You seem to be emotional about the cause of death of the wildlife as being killed by humans, as opposed to the drought. Domestic animals are animals too, and are routinely killed by humans for food. What is the difference?
Need some Hippo bacon and baby back ribs
Instead of killing wildlife to feed humans how about paying beef farmers more money .How safe is wildlife for human consumption as compared to beef or other domestic animals.Just poachers looking for a legitimate reason to kill wildlife