Namibia To Kill Over 700 Wild Animals Including Elephants To Feed Citizens As Drought Bites

• Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism said the country would kill 723 wild animals as one way of dealing with hunger
• According to the ministry, the ongoing drought has seen an increase in human-wildlife conflict in the country
• The ministry said the animals to be killed would include 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands

Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

The Namibia government has announced plans to kill several wild animals to feed citizens who have been affected by the country's worst drought.

How many elephants will be killed?

In a statement, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism said the country would kill 723 wild animals as one way of dealing with hunger.

The ministry said the animals would include 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands.

The environment ministry says the exercise will occur in parks and communal areas where officials believe animal numbers exceed available grazing land and water supplies.

The ministry says the drought has increased human-wildlife conflict, and the culling will take place in areas with high friction, particularly with elephants.

What is the major benefit of killing wild animals?

The animals will be sourced from the national parks and communal areas with sustainable game numbers.

"This exercise in necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens.

"This is also a prime example that conservation of game is really beneficial. We are happy that we can assist the country in this very difficult time and when it's absolutely needed, " the statement read in part.

According to the ministry, reducing wildlife numbers will help reduce the negative impact of drought on the conservation of wild animals in the nation by taming grazing pressure and water availability.

How many people are facing food insecurity in East Africa?

Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its partners raised concerns that at least 63 million people in East Africa are facing the danger of food insecurity.

IGAD Head of Mission Fatuma Adan said that out of the 300 million people under IGAD (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda), a significant number are food insecure.

This plight, she revealed, has been exacerbated by recent floods that hit Kenya and a bout of drought affecting larger regions of IGAD nations.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke