Zimbabwe to cull 200 elephants amid food shortages

Zimbabwe will cull 200 elephants as it faces an unprecedented drought that has led to food shortages, while also tackling a ballooning population of the animals, the country's wildlife authority said.

The country has "more elephants than it needed", Zimbabwe's environment minister said in parliament on Wednesday, adding that the government had instructed the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) to begin the culling process.

The 200 elephants will be hunted in areas where they have clashed with humans, including Hwange, home of Zimbabwe's largest natural reserve, ZimParks director general Fulton Mangwanya told AFP.

 Zimbabwe is home to an estimated 100,000 elephants, and has the second-biggest elephant population in the world after Botswana.