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Mpofu
Bikita East legislator, Johnson Madhuku,
has expressed disappointment over the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management’s failure
to deal with elephants which have terrorized the Bikita area for more than
three years.
Villagers from Chief Budzi area, Wards
24 and 25, have been living in fear of the stray elephants which destroy crops
and present a risk to humans.
Madhuku said the community was
disappointed with ZimParks and that they had held a meeting with locals for a
possible solution to the problem.
“I’m
very worried about the situation and there seems to be no meaningful response
from ZimParks.
“We held a meeting at Nyika council
offices last Friday with other local stakeholders who are now seriously working
on the issue.
“We have agreed that we will tirelessly
continue to engage ZimParks on how to scare the wildlife straying into the
wards bordering the conservancy and there should be a campfire.
“ZimParks should come and deal with
this problem as a matter of urgency because these elephants might stark
attacking people. Villagers have started losing their valuables and this must
be curbed forthwith,” said Madhuku.
The elephants are reportedly straying
from Save Valley Conservancy.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo told
TellZim News that the problem would be dealt with as a matter of urgency before
people get harmed or killed in the human wildlife conflict.
“If we hear about a certain problem
which involves wildlife we definitely solve the problem especially when human lives
are at risk.
We are working on the issue and very
soon the elephants will be captured and returned back to their habitat,” said
Farawo.
The elephants reportedly killed over
120 cattle from 2018 and the conflict seems to be raging on as no solution has
been brought forward by the wildlife conservancy authorities.
