Zimbabwe issues permits for cull of at least 50 elephants

HARARE (Reuters): Zimbabwe has issued permits to cull at least 50 elephants on a reserve where there are three times more elephants than the habitat can sustain, wildlife authorities said on Tuesday.

The Save Valley Conservancy in southern Zimbabwe is home to roughly 2,550 elephants, whereas it has a “carrying capacity” of 800 elephants, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said in a statement.

The conservancy already moved 200 elephants to other reserves over the past five years to try to manage its elephant population.

Meat from the cull will be distributed to local people to eat, while the ivory from the killed animals will be handed over to the parks authority.

Zimbabwe is home to one of the largest elephant populations worldwide, and climate change has worsened human-wildlife conflict as elephants encroach on areas where people live in search of food and water.

The Southern African country authorised another cull last year of about 200 elephants, the first since 1988. At the time authorities said they would distribute meat from the cull to communities affected by a severe regional drought, shortly after Namibia said it would do the same.