Namibiaend of August. The sun is shining under a cloudless sky, the temperature climbs to 35 degrees. However, we are actually in the depths of winter in the southern hemisphere. And it has barely rained in the country on the southwestern tip of Africa for months. Southern Africa is currently suffering from an unprecedented drought. Experts attribute the extreme drought to the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is particularly strong this year. Not only Namibia, but also Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi were declared a state of emergency months ago due to persistent drought.

Now the government in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, has taken a particularly controversial decision: In order to help the rural population, it wants to allow the killing of more than 700 wild animals that should enjoy special protection status in the country’s national parks. These include elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, zebras and wildebeest, most of which are to be shot by professional hunters. The country’s Ministry of Environment had already announced this plan on Monday. According to the ministry, nearly half of Namibia’s population, about 1.4 million people, are severely threatened by food and water shortages.

The Namibian government has a plan

The Namibian government is focusing on drastic measures to minimize the effects of the drought. On the one hand, according to a representative of the ministry, many wild animals are at risk of dying of thirst due to the acute lack of water in many areas of Namibia. By executing a set number of animals, those animals are spared a torturous death – and at the same time, the rest’s chances of survival increase.

In addition, the lack of water and food has led to an increase in conflicts between humans and animals. Animals in search of water are increasingly invading human settlements and endangering the local population.

And thirdly, there are plans to make the meat of the killed wild animals available to the hungry rural population. The Namibian authorities have already started to do this. Over 150 animals have already been killed. It is said that 57 tonnes of meat have already been distributed to villages in the immediate vicinity of the affected conservation areas.

Animal welfare organizations are calling for alternatives

The plan has sparked outrage among animal rights groups. The organization Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA), which fights for peaceful coexistence between elephants and humans, speaks of the “largest mass killing of wild animals in the history of Namibia”. A signature collection was launched, calling on the government to stop the project and develop alternatives. The report says the ministry has not adequately analyzed the extent of the impact on Namibia’s economy and tourism.

The EHRA also accuses the government of allowing trophy collectors to shoot some of the animals for money. The Namibian Ministry of Environment has now confirmed this fact. However, he also emphasizes that the money raised in this way – the equivalent of around €500,000 – is to be used to improve the water supply of the national parks.

The election campaign and the rural population

Furthermore, according to the EHRA, the claim that wild animals such as elephants and giraffes compete for water with the local population’s cattle and goats is false. They are not even allowed to be farmed within the boundaries of national parks, so there is no competition for resources between wild and farm animals.

EHRA suspects entirely different motives behind the government’s plan: “This is an election year in Namibia,” the organization writes in its petition, “and the ruling SWAPO party is facing growing rejection by voters.” SWAPO has its strongholds mainly in the rural areas of the settlements, which are now expected to benefit more from the distribution of game meat. The organization suspects that the ruling party is primarily interested in giving its supporters an electoral gift ahead of the November 29 election. EHRA is therefore urging that alternatives be found to benefit everyone – “including Namibia’s wildlife”.

The Ministry of Environment invokes the constitution

Namibia’s Ministry of the Environment issued a new statement on Wednesday defending the measure, saying it was necessary and “consistent with our constitutional mandate to exploit our natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Namibia. We are happy to help the country at this very difficult time, which is absolutely necessary.”

The ministry also reported that one person has already been killed as a result of elephants searching for water. As a precaution, people should not “walk the wild at night in endangered areas.”