Namibia is experiencing difficult times due to severe drought. The natural disaster has left around 1.4 million Namibians suffering from food shortages. To overcome this crisis, the Namibian government has decided to take an extreme and controversial step. The government plans to cull more than 700 wild animals, including elephants and zebras.

To be precise, Namibia's plan involves killing 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to address the hunger crisis caused by the ongoing drought. The government justified this action as a necessary step in accordance with its constitutional mandate to use natural resources to save its citizens.

This strategy was outlined by the country's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, according to a New York report Times. Rose Mwebaza, Director of the UN Environment Programme's Africa Office, commented that "well-managed, sustainable harvesting of healthy wildlife populations can provide a valuable source of food for communities."

This point also highlights the more a broad view that responsible wildlife management can support human needs in crisis situations.

South Africa, including Namibia, is currently struggling with a severe drought that has affected more than 30 million people in region, the UN World Food Program reported in June. Drought, which has been a recurring problem, has intensified this year, creating unprecedented challenges.

Benjamin Suarato of the US Agency for International Development noted that while droughts are common in the region, the current situation is especially severe due to the influence of El Niño, a climate pattern that brings warmer and drier conditions. This year's drought has been marked by record low rainfall, with some areas receiving less than half normal rainfall.

Severe water shortages have devastated Namibia's major crops and livestock, forcing the country to turn to wild animals for food. The culling plan covers not only elephants, but also 300 zebras, 30 hippos, 50 impalas, 60 buffalos, 100 blue wildebeests and 100 eland.

In addition to addressing food shortages, this measure aims to ​​to reduce the risk of dangerous collisions between people and wild animals, which are likely to increase as both compete for limited resources.

This radical approach reflects the broader impacts of climate change and environmental stressors on human and wildlife populations, illustrating the complex challenges faced in managing natural resources in times of crisis.

Source: timesofindia

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