Namibia Culls Wildlife for Meat

More than 700 wildlife, including hippos and elephants, are being culled in Namibia’s game parks to provide meat for the country’s hungry, the government announced, as the arid southern African region battles its worst drought in 100 years.

 

“This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens”, a statement on August 26, 2024 from the country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism read.

 

While the said territory is drought-prone, experts say the El Nino weather phenomenon which typically causes higher global temperatures, combined with human-caused climate change, is driving the current worse than usual dry spell. Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have declared drought emergencies.

 

And a spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday described the situation in Namibia as a “humanitarian crisis we’ve never spoken much of”.

 

About 84 percent of the country’s food reserves have been exhausted as a result of the drought, the UN said, with nearly half of the 2.5 million population expected to experience high levels of food insecurity during the lean season from July to September.

 

Like its neighbors, Namibia is dependent on agriculture and livestock which need rain to flourish. However, it has recorded several droughts in recent years, affecting food production. Authorities declared drought emergencies three times between 2013 and 2019.

 

The UN said the current drought is contributing to cases of acute malnutrition – and in some cases, death – in children under five.

 

And so, professional hunters and safari operators are being contracted to kill a total of 723 animals, according to Namibian authorities. 

 

The animals identified for culling include 30 hippos (Scientific name: Hippopotamus amphibius), 60 Cape buffalos (Scientific name: Syncerus caffer caffer), 50 impalas (Scientific name: Aepyceros melampus), 100 blue wildebeest (Scientific name: Connochaetes taurinus), 300 zebras (Family: Equidae, genus: Equus), 83 African bush elephants (Scientific name: Loxodonta africana) and 100 elands (Scientific name: Taurotragus oryx). 

 

Already, 56,875 kg of meat from 157 wild animals has been sourced for the government relief program, according to the government statement. 

 

It is not clear which animals have been culled so far and over what period. The culls are taking place in parks and communal areas that authorities believe have “sustainable game numbers” – that is, where the culling will not adversely affect the animal population, and where the animals may already exceed available water and grazing resources.

 

Parks in which culling is being carried out include Namib-Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara National Park.