The biggest game park in South Africa has announced it will cull some of its hippo population because of a two-year drought, The Mirror reports.
Kruger National Park will kill hippos and buffaloes because it believes they will die in the dry conditions.
The hippo is currently classed as a 'vulnerable' species, with an estimated population of around 125,000.
Animal rights campaigners have argued that letting hunters slaughter up to 750 hippos will harm an endangered species. 4,700 buffaloes are also expected to be killed.
Image credit: PA Images
Advert
Park bosses say the animals' meat would feed surrounding villagers, whose crops have been destroyed by the drought.
General manager Navashni Govender said the numbers of both species have fallen up to 50 percent in Kruger.
She said: "The purist way of allowing natural attrition to take its course is not always ecologically the best.
"Moral issues, such as allowing animals to die and rot in the face of a huge protein need in communities bordering the park have to be considered."
The South African Weather Service predicts no rain in the coming months.
Ms Govender added: "Predators thrive in a drought. Elephants and browsers such as kudu and giraffe also do better. It's the grass-eating animals and buffaloes that suffer the most."
Animal conservation charity LionAid's Dr Pieter Kat said the Kruger should no longer be classified as a national park if it intends to provide meat, rather than keeping wild animals in a natural habitat.
Advert
Featured image credit: PA Images
Featured Image Credit:Topics: south africa