Why is Namibia culling elephants and hippos for meat?
Al Jazeera
The country is facing its worst drought in decades and people are going hungry, officials say.
More than 700 wild animals, including hippos and elephants, are being culled in Namibia’s game parks to provide meat for the country’s hungry, the government has said, as the arid Southern African region battles its worst drought in 100 years.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation in the country as a “humanitarian crisis we’ve never spoken much of” at a media conference on Friday.
About 84 percent of the country’s food reserves have been exhausted as a result of the drought, the UN said, with nearly half of the 2.5 million population expected to experience high levels of food insecurity during the lean season from July to September.
“This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,” a statement on Monday from the country’s environment ministry read.
Here’s what you need to know about the cull-for-meat plan.
