Zimbabwe has approved a plan to cull 200 elephants to feed its citizens, who are suffering from hunger due to the worst drought in decades.

According to Tinashe Faravo, a spokesperson for the Parks and Wildlife Service, nearly half of the country's population faces acute hunger. The plan follows a similar decision in Namibia to kill animals to alleviate hunger, according to CNN.

Farawo noted that Zimbabwe has over 84.000 elephants, well above the capacity of 45.000.

Environment Minister Sithembiso Nyonyi told MPs that "Zimbabwe has more elephants than it needs".

She added that the large number of elephants also means a "scarcity of resources" for their diet, fueling human-wildlife conflict in the country.

- We are talking with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority and some communities to do what Namibia did - she stressed.

– When there is an overcrowding of wild animals in a particular park, they will then try to go outside the park in search of resources like water or greenery. When that happens, they will come into contact with people and start conflicts - she added.

Last month, Namibia authorized the shooting of 700 wild animals, including elephants, and their meat will be distributed to people facing food shortages. More than 150 animals have already been killed, the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced, and more than 50.000 kilograms of meat has been distributed.