Zimbabwe has announced plans to slaughter 200 elephants to address food shortages caused by its worst drought in decades. The country has the second-largest elephant population in the world, behind only Botswana. However, its 84,000 elephant population is almost double its capacity of 45,000. As a result, there aren’t enough resources for the elephants’ sustenance, resulting in some of them leaving their parks in search of resources in neighboring communities. Sometimes, when the animals come in contact with humans, this leads to conflict. At least 31 people have died in Zimbabwe this year alone as a result of such encounters. Conservationists criticize the culling, arguing it threatens wildlife sustainability. Nevertheless, officials defend the decision, stating it is part of measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict and protect human lives. Zimbabwe is the second southern African country to cull wildlife for their meat after Namibia, which embarked on a similar venture last month.
SOURCE: CNN
Zimbabwe Plans Elephant Cull to Address Food Shortages
