{"id":2338378,"date":"2024-09-08T12:24:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T16:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dangers-of-zoonotic-diseases-african-country-planning-to-cull-wildlife-to-feed-people-gets-warned\/"},"modified":"2024-09-08T12:26:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T16:26:56","slug":"dangers-of-zoonotic-diseases-african-country-planning-to-cull-wildlife-to-feed-people-gets-warned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dangers-of-zoonotic-diseases-african-country-planning-to-cull-wildlife-to-feed-people-gets-warned\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dangers of Zoonotic Diseases\u2019: African Country Planning to Cull Wildlife to Feed People Gets Warned"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdangers-of-zoonotic-diseases-african-country-planning-to-cull-wildlife-to-feed-people-gets-warned%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2338378&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Namibia is facing its worst drought in a century, prompting the \u200dgovernment to declare a state of emergency in May 2024. Currently, around 1.2 million people, or 40% of\u2064 the population analyzed, are\u200d experiencing severe food insecurity.\u200d In response, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry &#038; Tourism has announced a controversial plan\u2062 to cull over 700 wild animals,\u2064 including \u2063elephants, hippos, and\u200d zebras, to supply game meat\u200c for a drought relief program. This decision has \u2062drawn criticism from animal rights groups, particularly\u2062 PETA, which argues that the culling \u200dis a misguided solution that may be influenced by profit motives from trophy hunting rather than the genuine \u200cneed to address food shortages. PETA\u200d also raises concerns\u200d about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virtually-no-enforcement-house-report-blasts-bidens-handling-of-border\/\" title=\"House report criticizes Biden&#039;s border management, citing minimal enforcement.\">potential public health risks<\/a> associated \u200dwith\u2062 butchering wild animals, \u2064highlighting the dangers of zoonotic diseases which can\u2063 transfer from\u200c animals to humans. Despite the \u200cgovernment&#8217;s intentions to mitigate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-elephant-topples-familys-car-at-wetland-park\/\" title=\"WATCH: Elephant Topples Family&#039;s Car at Wetland Park\">human-wildlife conflict<\/a> as well, critics underscore that the plan could have severe ethical implications and \u2063unintended consequences.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>One African nation&rsquo;s aggressive plan to tackle its myriad of problems has some critics sounding an awfully familiar alarm.<\/p>\n<p>Namibia recently revealed some drastic measures being taken to combat, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/28\/climate\/namibia-kill-elephants-meat-drought\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> put it, &ldquo;its worst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/will-become-normal-american-west-entire-arizona-community-set-faucets-turned-off-due-drought\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drought<\/a> in 100 years.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That drought has been so severe that the Namibian government declared a state of emergency <a href=\"https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/disaster\/dr-2024-000094-nam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Per ReliefWeb, &ldquo;Between April and June 2024, an estimated 1.2 million people (40 percent of the analysed population) in Namibia face high levels of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taliban-calls-for-muslim-nations-to-rally-behind-afghanistan\/\" title=\"Taliban Calls for Muslim Nations to Rally Behind Afghanistan\">acute food insecurity<\/a> (IPC Phase 3 or above) and require urgent action to reduce food gaps and protect livelihoods.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The country&rsquo;s Ministry of Environment Forestry &amp; Tourism posted an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meft.gov.na\/news\/297\/update-on-the-culling-of-wild-animals-as-a-result-of-drought-and-fatal-report-involving-elephant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">update<\/a> on Aug. 28 detailing one of the more drastic steps it was taking to address these historic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/drought-weary-southwest-taking-fatal-hits-foreign-farms-plunder-water-remains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">droughts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Ministry with Cabinet approval is contributing game meat to support the drought relief programme by government,&rdquo; the update said. &ldquo;The Ministry will contribute 723 animals comprising 30 Hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue Wilderbeast, 300 Zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The animals are sourced from national parks and communal area with sustainable game numbers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The move, perhaps unsurprisingly, drew the ire of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.<\/p>\n<p>The group&rsquo;s Indian branch posted this, with an accompanying article:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Is profit from trophy hunting the real reason Namibia plans to slaughter over 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants, 30 hippos and 300 zebras?<\/p>\n<p>Tell Namibia what you think. Take action now: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0PUkWq2EG7\">https:\/\/t.co\/0PUkWq2EG7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PETA India (@PetaIndia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PetaIndia\/status\/1830809894083023279?\">September 3, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>While PETA resorted to some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/peta-makes-huge-mistake-right-fourth-july\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">familiar<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/peta-tried-guilt-people-international-sushi-day-community-notes-sliced-diced-instead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tactics<\/a> throughout the article, the organization did also actually attempt to appeal more to logic than feelings, which is atypical of it.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The government&rsquo;s plan to slaughter over 700 wild animals is a misguided attempt to address complex issues like drought and human-wildlife conflicts. The country claims that the slaughter will provide meat for its hungry population due to the ongoing drought,&rdquo; PETA argued.<\/p>\n<p>The group added: &ldquo;The plan is not only cruel but also insufficient and dangerously shortsighted.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s at this point that PETA actually pivoted to echoing the contentious fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The risks of butchering and consuming wild animals extend far beyond Namibia&rsquo;s borders. SARS, HIV, Ebola, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic are all stark reminders of the dangers of zoonotic diseases, which can jump from animals to humans,&rdquo; PETA warned. &ldquo;Namibia&rsquo;s plan not only puts its own population at risk but also threatens global public health by increasing the likelihood of another pandemic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly enough, PETA actually goes a step further &mdash; with little evidence or proof &mdash; and accused the Namibian government of shady behavior.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Because the plan is so blatantly short-sighted, there are growing suspicions that the slaughter may be driven by motives other than feeding the hungry,&rdquo; PETA wrote. &ldquo;Reports suggest that trophy hunters are being allowed to kill some of these animals for a fee, raising concerns that profit may be a driving factor in these cruel plans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meft.gov.na\/files\/files\/Culling%20of%20Wild-animals%20as%20a%20Result%20of%20Drought.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">original notice<\/a> from the Namibian government came Aug. 26.<\/p>\n<p>Another reason the government listed for the culling was to reduce growing instances of human-wildlife conflict, particularly with elephants.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An African country&#8217;s bold strategy to address its numerous challenges has prompted some critics to raise familiar concerns. Namibia recently announced significant actions in response to what CNN described as &#8220;its worst drought in 100 years.&#8221; The severity of the drought led the Namibian government to declare a state of emergency in May. According to ReliefWeb, &#8220;Between April and June 2024, approximately 1.2 million people (40 percent of the assessed population) in Namibia are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) and require immediate measures to close food gaps and safeguard livelihoods.&#8221; On August 28, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry &amp; Tourism provided an update on one particularly drastic measure being implemented to tackle these unprecedented drought conditions.<\/p>\n<p>The update stated that &#8220;with Cabinet approval, the Ministry is contributing game meat to support the government&#8217;s drought relief program.&#8221; Specifically, they plan to provide 723 animals including 30 hippos, 60 buffaloes, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeests, 300 zebras, 83 elephants, and 100 elands. These animals will be sourced from national parks and communal areas with sustainable populations.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, this decision has drawn criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The organization&#8217;s Indian branch shared a post along with an article questioning whether profit from trophy hunting is behind Namibia&#8217;s plan to kill over 700 wild animals. PETA India urged people to take action against this initiative.<\/p>\n<p>While PETA employed some familiar tactics throughout their commentary on this issue, they also attempted a more logical approach than usual by arguing that &#8220;the government&#8217;s plan to slaughter over 700 wild animals is a misguided attempt at addressing complex issues like drought and human-wildlife conflicts.&#8221; They contended that while Namibia claims this culling will provide meat for its starving population due to ongoing drought conditions,&#8221; it is both cruel and insufficient.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>PETA further highlighted potential public health risks associated with butchering wild animals by referencing past zoonotic diseases such as SARS and COVID-19: \u201cNamibia\u2019s plan not only endangers its own citizens but also poses a threat globally by increasing pandemic risks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly enough\u2014though lacking substantial evidence\u2014PETA suggested that there may be ulterior motives behind the Namibian government&#8217;s actions: \u201cGiven how shortsighted this plan appears,\u201d they wrote,\u201d suspicions are growing that profit rather than humanitarian needs may be driving these cruel decisions.\u201d The original announcement from Namibia&#8217;s government was made on August 26; another reason cited for culling was an increase in human-wildlife conflicts involving elephants<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2338379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Elephants.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32068,40397,40396],"class_list":["post-2338378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-public-health","tag-wildlife-culling","tag-zoonotic-diseases"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Elephants.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2338378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}