Meanwhile, Nigeria is adding nutritional supplements to soup tablets to improve the intake of vital vitamins and minerals for malnourished people.
Zimbabwe said on September 16 it would allow the killing of 200 elephants to distribute meat to struggling communities, while in Namibia the culling of more than 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants, is underway under a plan announced three weeks ago.
Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said elephant hunting permits would be issued to communities in need and the agency would also kill some of the 200 animals allocated.
A herd of elephants moves through Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe in search of water. Photo: AP
Hunting will take place in areas like Hwange National Park in the country's arid west, where people and wildlife increasingly compete for food and water amid scarce resources.
Hwange Park currently has a capacity of only 15,000. Zimbabwe's total elephant population is around 100,000, double the number that the country's national parks can support.
Last December, the park said more than 100 elephants had died due to drought. More animals could die of thirst and starvation in the coming weeks as the country enters its hottest time of the year.
Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyoni told parliament last week that she had approved the program. "The reality is that Zimbabwe has more elephants than we need, more than the forestry sector can support," Nyoni said.
Last month, the Namibian government approved the slaughter of 723 animals, including 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impala, 300 zebras and 100 eland, among others.
Meanwhile, Nigerian regulators on September 18 issued a set of standards for adding iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 to soup tablets recommended by experts to boost nutrition for people.
Workers check soup cubes before packaging them. Photo: AP
Using soup tablets could help speed up progress in combating diets lacking essential nutrients. According to a recent report from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, nutritionally fortified soup tablets could prevent up to 16.6 million cases of anemia and up to 11,000 deaths from neural tube defects in Nigeria.
According to a recent survey by the Nigerian government, eating smaller and less nutritious portions is common in many Nigerian households. The survey estimated that 79% of Nigerian households are food insecure.
Dietary micronutrient deficiencies have caused a public health crisis in Nigeria, including widespread anemia among women of reproductive age, neural tube defects in newborns, and stunting in children.
Ngoc Anh (according to AP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chau-phi-phai-giet-dong-vat-hoang-da-dung-vien-dinh-duong-de-chong-lai-nan-doi-post312866.html
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