• Floods damaged Kruger National Park fences, allowing animals to wander into nearby communities.

• Some families say poverty and high meat prices have pushed them to hunt wild animals for food.

Families living near the Kruger National Park say they are catching wild animals for food after deadly floods damaged park fences.

Communities around the park say many families live below the poverty line and cannot afford to buy meat. Some residents say wild animals wandering into their areas have become their only source of protein.

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Scrolla.Africa previously reported in 2025 that some parents had sent teenage boys to illegal poaching camps for training. Others risk their lives by entering the park illegally to hunt animals for food.

The floods, which killed more than 100 people, damaged parts of the park fence. This has made it easier for wild animals to move into nearby villages and backyards.

In the Leboakgomo community, residents captured an elephant and shared the meat among more than 50 families and a local butchery.

Mamokethe Ramothoba told Scrolla.Africa that heavy rain badly affected the community. She said they did not expect to find a baby elephant in their streets.

Ramothoba said unemployment is very high in the area and meat is rarely eaten because it is too expensive.

She said families mostly eat vegetables grown in their yards. Chickens are kept mainly for eggs, which provide protein.

Another resident said poverty has pushed people into hunting and using natural disasters as a way to survive.

Limpopo was also badly affected by the foot and mouth disease outbreak. This led to beef prices increasing by 12.2% in November 2025.

Analysts expect meat prices to ease in 2026 due to lower demand after the festive season. However, prices are expected to remain high because of the disease outbreak.