Namibia: Are Politics and Profit Behind Plans to Cull Elephants?
Politics tamfitronics The decisions made by the Namibian and Zimbabwean governments to slaughter hundreds of elephants amid a widespread drought will do very little to address the effects of human hunger or alleviate human-elephant conflict. So why are they really doing it? A real motive may be a thinly-veiled desire to make a profit… from selling ivory.Both governments claimed that the culling of elephants will provide the much-needed source of food for hungry citizens facing starvation from the worst drought in decades. They have also claimed that they have more than enough elephants (in Zimbabwe’s statement it’s "too many elephants”) and that the cull will alleviate ongoing human-elephant conflict situations.However, Namibia and Zimbabwe have been accused of conflating issues of elephant management, nutrition for drought-stricken villagers, and reducing human-wildlife...
