Activists equate hippo culling to trophy hunting

15 June 2016 - 09:34 By Reuters

Zambian wildlife authorities said yesterday they had suspended the controlled slaughter of up to 2000 hippos over the next five years after animal activists described it as trophy hunting.Zambia's National Parks and Wildlife Department said it started the hippo culling when recent research showed water levels in the Luangwa River were "low and insufficient to support the hippo population - especially in the dry season".Zambia has between 42,000 and 50,000 hippos, a population the department said could not be supported by the water levels in the Luangwa Valley, where most of the animals were located.British wildlife charity Born Free said on its website that the scientific rationale for killing up to 2,000 hippos when their population in Southern Africa stood at 80,000 hippos was questionable."I urge the authorities to call a halt to the killing with immediate effect," Born Free president and co-founder Will Travers said.Water levels in Zambia's rivers and lakes have dropped following a prolonged drought that threatens crops across Southern Africa, where the UN has warned 14million people face hunger. ..

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