(Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe will proceed with its first elephant cull in decades after the southern African nation suffered a severe drought, with plans to target around 200 from its herds of over 100,000.
“Culling elephants is a tough but humane choice,” Secretary for Information and Publicity Nick Mangwana said in a post on X. “It protects from prolonged suffering from thirst, starvation. It maintains ecosystem balance and ensures remaining wildlife thrives.”
Zimbabwe, which last culled elephants in 1988, has the world’s second-largest population of the pachyderms after neighboring Botswana.
Most of its elephants are found in Hwange National Park, which at 5,656 square miles (14,650 square km) is the nation’s largest.
“We are still finalizing the logistical issues which includes the area focus and permits, but we are looking at 200 elephants across the country,” said Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo.
Its hunting quota under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species permits it to kill elephants, Farawo said.
Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said last week that the country was considering the cull and the meat would be used to feed communities affected by the drought.
Zimbabwe has suffered severe food shortages this year because of the El Nino-induced weather pattern, which withered essential crops.
--With assistance from Desmond Kumbuka.
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