Namibia's government is planning to cull some 700 wild animals, including elephants and hippos, in an effort to provide meat to people facing hunger, as the country copes with a historic drought. 

Nearly half of Namibia's population of 2.5 million people is facing food insecurity amid the worst drought conditions to hit the arid southern African nation in 100 years. 

Food crop and livestock production have been affected and, according to the United Nations last week, 84 per cent of the country's food reserves have been exhausted.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism will contract professional hunters and safari outfitters to carry out culls in areas where game numbers are sustainable, including national parks. 

"This exercise [is] necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens," the environment ministry said in a press release Monday.

Among the animals to be killed are 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras and 100 elands, the second-largest species of antelope.

The Namibian government has already contributed nearly 57,000 kilograms of game meat from 157 animals to the relief program. The government did not specify which species of animals were killed.  

"By reducing wildlife numbers in certain parks and communal areas where we believe the population exceeds the available grazing and water resources, we can better manage the current grazing pressure and water availability," the statement read. 

Need to reduce elephant numbers 

The 83 elephants will be from "identified conflict areas" where human-wildlife interactions can include crop destruction, livestock loss and damage to homes and property, as well as causing injuries or death to people.

Human-animal conflicts have worsened as a result of recurring droughts, the ministry said in April 2023. 

At a conference the environment ministry hosted last year, conservation officials deemed it necessary to reduce elephant numbers in order to lower the risk of these interactions.

Southern Africa has one of the world's largest elephant populations.

More than 200,000 elephants are estimated to live in a conservation area spread over Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Namibia. 

El Niño a factor in drought

Namibia is one of the driest countries in southern Africa and it is prone droughts. 

The country previously declared national drought emergencies three times over the last decade — in 2013-2014, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019.

The current drought is affecting a swath of southern Africa, from Namibia to Mozambique.

World Weather Attribution, a collection of scientists and researchers who analyze severe weather events found the recent El Niño phenomenon was the key driver of the drought and resulted in much of the region less than 20 per cent of its typical rainfall at the start of this year, when precipitation is usually at its highest. 

Although it did not draw links to climate change in this instance, it pointed to research showing climate change is a factor in increasing aridity in parts of the region. 

Namibia is one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank's Climate Knowledge Portal, and is at increased vulnerability to the effects of climate change due, in part, to its reliance on rain-fed agriculture and livestock.