Zimbabwe to cull 50 elephants, distribute meat to locals

Elephants are a national treasure and tourism magnet in Zimbabwe.

But the population of the majestic creatures has grown too numerous in recent years. Many of the country's national parks and reserves are out of capacity - at Savé Valley Conservancy, the number of elephants exceeds three times the sustainable population level.

Faced with the increasing pressure on natural resources, Zimbabwe has now decidedd to cull 50 elephants at Savé Valley Conservancy.

The animals' meat will then be distributed to the local population near the reserve.

Zimbabwe previously tried to tackle the problem by relocating several hundred animals to other parks or using GPS tracking schemes to monitor the elephant population and warn locals when herds came too close to their villages.

Last year, Zimbabwe killed 200 elephants when a drought struck the country and led to food shortages.

This year, the number of elephants to be culled remains at 50 - for now.