<h5>Why does Namibia plan to cull wild animals?</h5><p>Namibia plans to cull wild animals due to a severe drought, the worst in a century. The drought has prompted the government to slaughter several species, including hippopotamuses, elephants, and others.</p><p>The decision was taken to provide meat for around 1.4 million people, nearly half the country’s population.</p><p>The culling list includes 723 animals, including 30 hippopotamuses, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands. Over 150 animals have already been killed, yielding around 63 tonnes (63000 kgs) of meat.</p><p>This move also aims to reduce the dangerous encounters between humans and wildlife caused by scarce resources. The animals might be compelled to migrate in search of food and water, putting them at risk of conflict with humans.</p><p>The country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism says the plan was necessary to help benefit the country’s citizens.</p><h5>What caused the drought?</h5><figure class="image"><img alt="Namibia.jpg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/newsahoot.appspot.com/Namibia_978dc4286f.jpg"><figcaption>Dry conditions in Namibia due to the drought. Photo by Reena Ghelani.</figcaption></figure><p>Namibia, located in drought-prone southern Africa, frequently encounters such situations. However, the ongoing drought has been particularly devastating.</p><p>The drought began in Botswana (another African country) in October 2023 and spread across many regions (including Namibia), primarily affecting most of southern Africa.</p><p>The bad situation is being blamed upon El Niño, a weather pattern that causes extreme heat and dry spells in various parts of the world and the ocean.</p><p>In 2023, an El Niño event returned after several years, causing higher temperatures and less rainfall in the area. This made the soil very dry, and plants struggled to grow, resulting in drought.</p><p>Studies also show that climate change is raising temperatures, making droughts and floods more frequent and intense.</p><h5>About El Niño.</h5><p>It is a weather condition that sometimes occurs in the Pacific Ocean, but it can affect the weather worldwide.</p><p>During El Niño years, the Pacific Ocean waters along the Americas can get warmer than average. This causes the formation of rain clouds over this warm part of the ocean, which moves inland and dumps rain in South and Central America.</p><p>However, other parts of the world can suffer drought.</p><h5>Impact of drought on Namibia.</h5><figure class="image"><img alt="Plants.jpg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/newsahoot.appspot.com/Plants_ccedb9ac1f.jpg"><figcaption>Dry plants in Namibia due to the drought. Photo by Reena Ghelani.</figcaption></figure><p>The country's food availability is generally low from July to September, and the drought has exacerbated the situation. Many crops have dried up, and livestock have died. Also, most of the country’s food reserves are exhausted.</p><p>All these have increased food insecurity in the country and require urgent action. Reports also say that malnutrition among children under five has increased, and deaths have been reported in some areas.</p><p>Some experts also point out that the situation can affect women, as they must walk longer distances to collect food and water. This can put them at risk of facing gender-based violence. So, the government has plans to kill the animals to use for food.</p>

The government has taken this decision due to a drought in the region!

Namibia To Cull Many Wild Animals

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