Zimbabwe to Cull 200 Elephants to Address Drought-Induced Hunger

The culling aims to alleviate food shortages affecting millions and reduce human-wildlife conflict in overpopulated parks.

Zimbabwe's government has authorized the killing of 200 elephants to provide meat for communities facing severe food shortages due to a prolonged drought.
The El Niño-induced drought has devastated crops across southern Africa, impacting 68 million people and causing widespread hunger.
The culling will occur in Hwange, Mbire, Tsholotsho, and Chiredzi districts, where human-elephant conflicts have escalated due to scarce resources.
Zimbabwe's elephant population, currently at over 84,000, is double the sustainable capacity of its national parks, necessitating population control measures.
Neighboring Namibia has already culled 83 elephants and other wildlife to combat similar drought-driven food insecurity, drawing both support and criticism from conservationists.