Namibia to cull 83 elephants and distribute meat to people affected by drought

FILE PHOTO: A group of elephants and giraffes walk near a carcass of an elephant at a watering hole inside Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo/File Photo

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Namibia plans to cull 723 wild animals, including 83 elephants, and to distribute the meat to people struggling to feed themselves because of a severe drought across southern Africa, the environment ministry said.

The cull will take place in parks and communal areas where authorities believe animal numbers exceed available grazing land and water supplies, it said in a statement issued on Monday.