Peta slams Namibia’s ‘cruel’ wildlife culling

Namibia’s culling of more than 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants, has been slammed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) as “misguided” as it urged the Namibian government to “halt this cruel slaughter”.

“Culling is not a viable solution to the challenges posed by drought,” said Jason Baker, Peta Asia senior vice-president.

A ‘misguided and cruel’ decision – Peta

“It is a misguided and cruel decision that will only perpetuate suffering.”

Hunters are now tracking 157 animals of various species in parks “delivering 56 875kg of meat” to feed Namibians as the country faces a severe drought, the ministry of environment, forestry and tourism announced last week.

The elephants will be slaughtered “because of the human wildlife conflict”, with at least one villager killed last week, it said.

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But Baker disagrees: “Elephants, for example, are highly intelligent beings with strong family bonds. Killing even a few can devastate entire herds, leading to chaos and increased mortality among the survivors.

“It is a short-sighted approach that causes immense pain to these intelligent, social animals and disrupts their complex family structures.”

Culling is ‘inhumane’

And Peta finds culling inhumane: “There is no scientific consensus that culling effectively manages wildlife populations or addresses food scarcity in a sustainable way,” Baker said.

“In fact, similar strategies worldwide have proven ineffective and counterproductive, often leading to ecological imbalances and further suffering.”

Instead of resorting to violence, Namibia should invest in humane, non-lethal methods “such as wildlife translocation, contraception, and community-based conservation programmes”, Baker said.

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“We urge the Namibian government to halt this cruel slaughter and explore ethical alternatives that address the root causes of food insecurity and environmental stress, and protect vulnerable areas by erecting and maintaining fences and implementing other non-violent conflict deterrents.”

The country’s 24 000 elephants are not fenced in and sometimes pose a threat to communities, occasionally attacking villagers.

Culling to reduce ‘cases of human wildlife conflict’

“With the severe drought in the country, conflicts are expected to increase if no interventions are made,” the ministry said.

The 83 elephants will be culled “to assist in reducing prevailing cases of human wildlife conflict”, it said, while announcing Cabinet approved the slaughter of 723 animals – 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands.

The ministry had not responded to questions at the time of going to print.

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