Namibia, a country in Southern Africa, is planning to butcher over 700 wild animals including elephants, hippos, and zebras. to provide meat for its 1.4 billion people who are reeling under drought, being considered worst in a century.
According to a report by The Indian Express, a total of 723 animals, including 30 hippopotamuses, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands, a type of antelope, are on the kill list of the Namibia government. Moreover, over 150 animals have been killed already, yeilding about 63 tonnes of meat.
In a press statement dated August 26, the country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said, “This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens".
What caused drought in Namibia?
Namibia often witnessed such events, primarily because the country is located in dought-prone Southern Africa. In 2013, 2016 and 2019, the Namibian government had declared emergencies due to extreme drought.
However, the ongoing drought has been widespread and devastating, The New York Times quoted Juliane Zeidler, the country director of the World Wildlife Fund in Namibia, as saying.
The drought, that began in Botswana in October 2023, spread and intensified across Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, and affects most of southern Africa today, as per a report by the European Commission.
Meanwhile, several media reports have suggested that the situation prevails because of El Nino, a weather pattern associated with extreme heat and dry spells in many parts of the world and the ocean, returned after seven years in 2023 and caused above-average temperatures across various regions.
In addition, numerous studies have revealed that due to the global warming and constant climate change, extreme weather conditions such as floods and drought have become more frequent and recurring.
How the drought has affected Namibia?
According to a spokesperson of the United Nations, crops such as maize have dried up, large numbers of livestock have died, and almost 84% of the country’s food reserves are exhausted, leaving its citizens starving.
Moreover, as the stocks diminishes, the prices have skyrocketed which has limited the access of food to a large percentage of the population.
“Between April and June 2024, an estimated 1.2 million people…in Namibia face high levels of acute food insecurity…and require urgent action to reduce food gaps and protect livelihoods. These are the most vulnerable groups…in both urban and rural areas,” the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said in a report.
Notably, food availability is usually low in Namibia from July to September. However, the ongoing crisis has worsened the situation.
How butchering animals will help the citizens?
According to a report by The Indian Express, it is not just for the meat that the government wants to kill wild animals. Also, the government reckons that due to the widespread drought, the animals might come out of the wild in quest of food and water and end up engaging in conflicts with the human population.
With 24,000 elephants, Namibia has the world's largest elephant population in the world.
