Home to the World’s largest elephant population, Zimbabwe said it plans to cull 50 elephants and distribute their meat to people.
The move aims to curb the ballooning population of the animal and ease ecological strain, and rising human-wildlife conflict, particularly in the Save Valley Conservancy, where the elephant population has exceeded the land’s carrying capacity by more than threefold.
The growing elephant population has resulted in more frequent and destructive encounters with rural communities. Crops are being destroyed, and local livelihoods are under threat, prompting calls for urgent action.
Authorities argue that the culling is part of a broader, sustainable wildlife management plan. Zimbabwe has already translocated over 200 elephants in recent years, but relocation alone has not been sufficient to manage the population.