The drought, the worst in a hundred years, is ravaging Namibia and leaving its entire population starving, and now the government plans to cull more than 700 wild animals, including elephants, zebras and hippos , to distribute the meat among its inhabitants.

Among the animals to be killed are 83 elephants, 30 hippos, 60 buffalo, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests and 300 zebras, Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced Monday in a press release reported by CNN. The animals will come from national parks and communal areas with "sustainable game stocks" and will be killed by professional hunters, the ministry said.

The aim of the programme is to help alleviate the impact of drought in the African country, he added.

Namibia declared a state of emergency in May due to the worsening effects of drought. An estimated 1.4 million people – about half the population – face high levels of food insecurity. The culling program will reduce pressure on water resources by reducing wild animals in areas where their numbers “outnumber available pastures and water,” the ministry said.

(Online Union)