For Immediate Release:
3 September 2024
Contact:
Sanskriti Bansore; SanskritiB@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Windhoek – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia has sent a letter to Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila urging her to reconsider her country’s “blatantly short-sighted” plan to butcher 700 more wild animals, including 83 elephants, 30 hippos, and 300 zebras. The country has already reportedly slaughtered over 150 wild animals, purportedly for meat to feed hungry people amid drought conditions and to address conflicts between humans and other animals – a plan the group warned is a pandemic risk.
In the letter, PETA Asia Senior Vice President Jason Baker accused Namibia of “making scapegoats of wild animals for complex problems that require strategic long-term solutions”.
“[T]he decision is not based on sound science. Rather, the killing of these animals could lead to imbalances and worsen suffering, since every species plays a vital role in ecosystems,” he warns. “COVID-19, SARS, HIV, Ebola, and other zoonotic diseases have shown the world the dangers of butchering and consuming wild animals.”
It is reported the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has confirmed that the country is allowing trophy hunters to shoot animals for a fee. There are also accusations that wildlife are being killed for votes by creating the illusion of providing solutions to complex problems in key areas important on the electoral map.
Baker urged Namibia to “consult with climate scientists and wildlife experts on creative lifesaving efforts that could reduce Namibia’s drought burden, alleviate problems that Namibia’s wildlife face, and address human-wildlife conflicts”.
“[S]ince animal agriculture is responsible for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, Namibia may want to consider trying to persuade the governments of the countries with the greatest meat consumption, such as Australia and the U.S., and regions producing the most meat, such as Asia, to incentivize their respective publics to support vegan food production and vegan eating,” he writes, adding that Namibia may also want to push the world’s worst greenhouse gas emitters to tackle their footprint on the planet more effectively.
PETA entities, which include PETA India, have a combined 9 million members and supporters around the world. PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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