Namibia to Slaughter More Than 80 Elephants as Protesters Call It a ‘Colossal Disaster’

However, according to the World Population Review, the most recent estimate shows that Namibia’s elephant population exceeds 24,000, marking a 5.36% increase over the past year.

A report by African conservationists and scientists argues that the cull is politically motivated by upcoming national elections and lacks thorough environmental or food security assessments. The experts in the report are anonymous because they say they face considerable risks, with many receiving threats or facing actions such as “the revocation of permits, deportation, or worse.”

“This oppressive environment tragically results in media outlets often publishing government statements and strategies without the benefit of opposing views from the conservation community,” the report warns. The authors warn that the cull could damage tourism, and argue that since cattle do not graze in national parks, culling within these areas will not benefit livestock farmers outside the parks, contrary to the ministry’s claims.

“Elephants who witness culling, which typically targets entire families including young calves, is well established to exacerbate human-elephant conflict, rather than alleviate it. Elephants who escape are known to experience lasting trauma from witnessing family members being shot,” the report says.

The ministry said in its announcement: “This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens. It demonstrates that wildlife conservation can be highly beneficial. Not only will Namibians receive meat for drought relief, but the ministry has, over the years, supplied meat for national, regional, and traditional events, in accordance with our policies and laws.”

“Game meat benefits are also extended to rural communities, particularly those in conservancies,” the ministry said.

Dr. Adam Cruise, speaking to the BBC, criticized this approach, saying, “It’s a bit insulting to toss a bit of game meat in the direction of starving, impoverished people, living on subsistence basis without any kind of meaningful developments in terms of employment opportunities and general social development.”

According to elephant biologist Dr. Keith Lindsay, the cull will provide only short-term relief and sets a dangerous precedent of reliance on wildlife to solve human problems.

An African elephant, surrounded by zebras, drinks from a water hole in Etosha National Park in Namibia.

He said: “This practice, if adopted and normalized, is very likely to create a continuing demand on vulnerable wildlife populations that would be unsustainable in the dwindling areas of natural habitat. “There is also the risk that it will give neighboring nations a strong case for doing so as well, triggering a colossal disaster.”

The UK-based organization Action for Elephants echoed these concerns, cautioning that “unscrupulous governments across Africa may implement similar schemes on an even larger scale.” They added, “If other African nations with declining wildlife populations see that no action is taken or protests raised, they may feel encouraged to do the same.”

Izak Smit, of the Desert Lions Human Relations Aid organization, voiced his concerns in a letter to the ministry, stating, “It’s become evident that the concept of human-wildlife conflict has become a convenient tool and scapegoat to justify exploitation and unethical agendas, including providing hunting trophies in cases where sustainability cannot be reasonably justified.” He also noted that communities in the west are facing greater poverty and hunger than those receiving the meat.