Zimbabwe's wildlife authority has defended its planned cull of 200 elephants to ease pressure on drought-strained resources after criticism.
Announced last week, the body said the country's first cull in around 35 years was necessary as Zimbabwe was struggling to cope with an overpopulation of the massive animals along with a withering drought that has left thousands facing food shortages.
It came after neighbouring Namibia said it was planning to cull more than 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to relieve pressure on its drought-affected grazing and water supplies, and to provide meat for food aid programmes.
Facing criticism
Both culls faced criticism from conservationists and animal rights groups.
But with Zimbabwe's elephant population estimated at 84,000, the cull will be a "drop in the ocean", Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) spokesman Tinashe Farawo told AFP.
ZimParks had earlier estimated there to be around 100,000 elephants in the country.
"If you do the maths, it's insignificant," Farawo said, adding that while culling had been shown to be effective "people don't want to be factual" about the emotive issue.
Distribute meat
Their meat will be distributed to people in need of food aid and the tusks will join a stockpile of 130 tonnes of ivory, the spokesman said.
The move to hunt the elephants for food was criticised by some, not least because the animals are a major draw for tourists.
"Government must have more sustainable eco-friendly methods to dealing with drought without affecting tourism," said Farai Maguwu, director of the nonprofit Centre for Natural Resource Governance.
"They risk turning away tourists on ethical grounds. The elephants are more profitable al ive than dead," Maguwu added.
Battling overpopulation
Estimated to have the second biggest elephant population in the world after Botswana, Farawo said Zimbabwe was "battling an overpopulation of elephants".
"They knock down trees, they destroy everything, because the numbers are not sustainable. Our ecosystem cannot sustain what we currently have," he said.
Farawo added that the drought was sending elephants and other wildlife into human settlements in search of food and water, encounters that are sometimes fatal.
In the first quarter of this year, 30 people were killed in confrontations in wildlife, with elephants accounting for 60 percent of fatalities, he said.
In 2023, ZimParks received 3,000 distress calls related to wild animals.
Conservation expensive
Farawo argued that conservation is expensive and Zimbabwe's wildlife protection measures such as anti-poaching patrols cost $6-7 million, which it has to secure from various partners.
The country is meanwhile unable to sell its stockpile of tusks due to a global ban on ivory trading.
It also does not have the means to distribute elephants to less congested parts of th e country, with the last such move in 2019.
Namibia and Zimbabwe are among a swathe of countries in southern Africa that have declared a state of emergency because of drought.
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