Zimbabwe approves hunting of 50 elephants

Zimbabwe has officially approved the hunting of at least 50 elephants in the famous Sioux Valley Conservancy in the southern region to control the growing number of elephants.

The national wildlife conservation agency has called the move necessary to protect the ecological balance.

According to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, there are currently about 2,550 elephants in the Sioux Valley Conservancy, although the area’s natural capacity is only 800 elephants.

Officials said that about 200 elephants have been moved to other protected areas in the past five years. However, despite this, the population is constantly increasing.

The authority clarified that the meat of the hunted elephants will be distributed to the local population so that they can benefit from it, while their tusks will be handed over to the government’s wildlife department.

Officials say that due to climate change and drought, elephants are moving towards human settlements in search of food and water, which is leading to human-wildlife conflict.

It is pertinent to note that Zimbabwe, for the first time since 1988, allowed the hunting of 200 elephants last year, and their meat was distributed to drought-affected villages. Similarly, neighboring Namibia has also taken similar steps to control the elephant population.

Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in the world where the elephant population is still large, but strict decisions are now being taken to maintain their survival and ecological harmony.