Zimbabwe kills 200 elephants for food

The elephant hunt will take place in areas that have experienced conflict with humans, including Hwange, home to Zimbabwe's largest wildlife reserve.

Zimbabwe will allow the killing of 200 elephants for the first time since 1988 amid fears of food shortages following an unprecedented drought, Euronews reported. The hunt will take place in areas where there has been conflict with humans, including Hwange, home to Zimbabwe's largest wildlife reserve.

Zimbabwe's environment minister said the southern African nation "has more elephants than it needs" at a parliamentary hearing last week.

Drawing on the experience of neighbouring Namibia, which previously slaughtered elephants for human consumption, officials plan to dry the meat, package it and ship it to food-starved communities. Zimbabwe is suffering its worst drought in more than 40 years, the World Food Programme (WFP) said, meaning there is little food in many areas as crops dry up and harvests are poor.

Zimbabwe is home to around 100,000 elephants, the second largest population in the world after Botswana. Some experts and animal rights activists believe that the cull could negatively impact the country’s image and discourage tourists from visiting Zimbabwe.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that there are only about 415,000 elephants left in Africa, down from 3 to 5 million at the beginning of the 20th century. Asian and African elephants are considered endangered, except for populations in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where they are classified as “vulnerable.”

HUY QUOC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/zimbabwe-giet-200-con-voi-de-lay-thuc-an-post759017.html