Zimbabwe to cull, relocate elephants

Zimbabwe to cull, relocate elephants

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By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE may cull or relocate elephants from the country's largest national park after 50 of the animals died because of water shortages and habitat pressures, officials said Monday.

Deputy Environment Minister Andrew Langa said the elephant population in Hwange National Park had soared to more than 75,000, nearly double the park's estimated capacity of 45,000.

Similar trends have been seen elsewhere in the region including in South Africa's famed Kruger National Park, where government scientists say a growing elephant population is now eating itself out of house and home.

"Some of the solutions we are looking at in order to reduce the deaths are to cull and take some of the animals to Namibia," Langa said.

Reports say aquatic life in the area was also under threat due to a water shortage in the drought-prone region.

Zimbabwe has tens of thousands of elephants, one of the biggest populations in Africa. Hwange is on Zimbabwe's western border with Botswana, which also has a large elephant population.

The state abattoir is said to be trying to relocate 24,000 cattle on the brink of starvation in the region - Reuters
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