Zimbabwe to Cull 200 Elephants Amid Severe Drought

Zimbabwe is set to cull 200 elephants to provide food for communities affected by the worst drought in four decades. The drastic measure comes as the El Nino-induced drought devastates crops, impacting millions in southern Africa. This is part of an effort to decongest parks and address human-wildlife conflicts.

Zimbabwe plans to cull 200 elephants to feed communities facing acute hunger after the worst drought in four decades, wildlife authorities announced on Tuesday.

The El Nino-induced drought has wiped out crops in southern Africa, affecting 68 million people and causing widespread food shortages. "We can confirm that we are planning to cull about 200 elephants across the country. We are working on methodologies on how we are going to do it," stated Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), to Reuters.

The elephant meat will be distributed to communities in Zimbabwe hard-hit by the drought. The cull, the first in the country since 1988, will occur in Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi districts. This follows Namibia's recent decision to cull 83 elephants and distribute the meat to drought-affected people.

More than 200,000 elephants are estimated to inhabit a conservation area spanning Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola, and Namibia, making the region home to the world's largest elephant populations. Farawo said the culling is also an attempt to reduce park congestion, as Zimbabwe can only sustain 55,000 elephants but is home to over 84,000. Human-wildlife conflicts are escalating as resources become scarcer, with Zimbabwe losing 50 people to elephant attacks last year.

Despite its conservation achievements and growing elephant population, Zimbabwe has been lobbying for the U.N.'s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to reopen the trade of ivory and live elephants, holding about $600,000 worth of unsellable ivory stockpiles.

(With inputs from agencies.)