The Namibian government has approved a plan to slaughter 723 wild animals to provide food for residents affected by the worst drought in decades. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced that 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impalas, 100 blue gnu, 300 zebras and 100 antelopes are among the animals to be slaughtered. This is reported daily.afisha.ru with reference to Reuters.
Shooting will take place in national parks and public areas with “sustainable game populations”. Professional hunters have been hired to carry out this task. So far, 157 animals have already been killed, yielding more than 56,8 tons of meat.
The authorities argue that these measures are necessary and in line with the constitutional mandate to utilize natural resources for the benefit of citizens. According to the UN, Namibia has exhausted 84% of its food reserves and it is expected that almost half of the country's population will have difficulty accessing food in the near future.
