'We have every right': Zimbabwe defends elephant cull to ease drought driven hunger

This stance follows various calls of objection from international bodies, conservationists, and humanitarian organisations who term the act as inhumane.

Zimbabwe and other southern African nations have been severely impacted by an El Niño-induced drought. This extreme weather event has devastated crops, leading to widespread food shortages. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), millions of Zimbabweans are at risk of food insecurity.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) explained it is necessary to feed starving communities. Tinashe Farawo, a spokesperson for ZimParks, emphasised that the cull targets elephants in overpopulated areas where human-wildlife conflict is prevalent.

"We are facing a dire situation where people are starving, and we need to take action to ensure their survival," Farawo said.

Additionally, the director general for the facility, Fulton Mangwanya told AFP that the country has every right to carry out the decision.

"We are going to cull, find 200 but those that die because of climate change are even more than 200. So if we cull 200 and and we find it's not enough, we have got every sovereign right to kill more because we have got over 85,000 elephants almost close to 100,000. We are supposed to be having something like maybe around 60,000 or less."

Zimbabwe's decision echoes a similar move by neighbouring Namibia, where authorities approved culling 700 wild animals, including elephants, to help feed people affected by severe drought conditions.