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Namibia is looking to sell 1,000 wild animals - including elephants and giraffes - from its national game reserves 颅as it struggles with drought.

Buffaloes, springboks and impala will be among the animals auctioned off as the African country tries to reduce numbers to "manageable levels", according to The Namibian newspaper.

Grazing conditions in most parks are "extremely poor" following severe water shortages and animals are at risk of dying from starvation, Namibia's environment ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda said.

"Given that this is a dry year, the ministry would like to sell various types of game species from various protected areas to preserve grazing, and to generate much-needed funds for parks and wildlife management," he told The Namibian.

The Namibian government will reportedly sell between 500 and 600 disease-free buffaloes from the Waterberg Plateau Park - reducing their numbers to fewer than 400.

About 150 springbok - out of a population of more than 2,000 - will be sold from the Hardap and Naute game parks, while 65 oryx will be auctioned off.

Some 28 elephants will be sold from the Khaudum National Park, where there is a population of 6,400.

Other animals to be sold include 35 elands, 60 giraffes, 20 impala and 16 wildebeest.

Namibia's information minister Stanley Muyunda told The Nambian that the animals will be sold at a public auction and the government is aiming to attract game farmers who have the facilities to maintain them.

The animals are expected to fetch 17m Namibian dollars (£900,000) and the proceeds will be used for wildlife conservation and parks management.

Namibia, which has a population of 2.4m people, has previously made calls for international help due to water shortages that have left more than 500,000 people without access to enough food.

It was reported in May that at least 60,000 domestic animals had died in the country in the previous six months.