The Environment Ministry estimates that the country has more elephants than it needs. The government has therefore ordered the nature park specialists (ZimParks) to start culling the animals.
The park’s general manager, Fulton Mangwanya, said the hunt for 200 elephants would take place in areas where there have been clashes with humans, including the country’s largest wildlife reserve, Hwange.
Experts estimate that there are 100,000 elephants in Zimbabwe. The country has the second largest population of these animals after Botswana. In Hwange alone, 65,000 elephants have been recorded – four times more than the area can accommodate.
The government hopes the culling of the animals will ease pressure on water supplies and provide meat for thousands of people starving due to drought. The administration’s order has drawn sharp criticism from animal rights activists. The last time elephants were captured in Zimbabwe was in 1988.
