By Staff Reporter
Residents of the Summerton area in Masvingo District are facing a growing problem with hyenas invading their community and attacking their livestock.
The situation has become dire, with residents reporting an increasing number of hyena attacks on their goats and other animals. One resident from Ward 6, identified only as Mai Chinovava, expressed her frustration after losing five goats and one cow to the predators.
“We are appealing to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to intervene and at least help us identify where the hyenas are coming from, because we do not know,” she said. Neighbors have also lost livestock to the marauding hyenas.
The fear of hyenas has become a significant concern for the community, affecting their daily lives and livelihoods. Another resident from Village 7, Precious Guma, said if no action is taken, the community stands to lose a great deal of livestock.
Ward 6 Junior Councilor Welldone Baramasimbe highlighted the impact of the hyena problem on social activities, particularly for men who travel late for work or leisure.
“It’s now difficult for men to go out to sports, shops, or bars, or even watch soccer at night. This situation is causing problems within families, and we need to find a solution that allows people to move around freely, especially during this summertime when there’s no fieldwork,” said Baramasimbe.
However, Social Economic Action Transformation (SEATH) Director Tendaima Mafuka, who is also a local resident with operations in the ward, offered a different perspective on the issue. While she acknowledged that hyenas were indeed causing problems, she blamed locals for contributing to the challenge.
“It’s the locals who hunt wildlife at night, killing the hyenas’ natural prey. By killing wildlife, the hyenas are left with no option but to invade surrounding villages and eat goats because they have nothing to eat in the forest,” said Mafuka.
Mafuka also pointed to the destruction of the ecosystem as a contributing factor. “People are cutting down trees for madora (mopane worms) and other purposes, which leaves no forests for wildlife to thrive. With no natural habitat, the hyenas are forced to come to the villages. We need to be responsible stewards of our environment before complaining about the problems we’re facing,” said Mafuka.
She emphasized the need for authorities to organize educational programs to raise awareness in the community about the importance of coexisting with wildlife.
“People need to understand the impact of their actions on the ecosystem. By destroying trees and hunting wild animals, they are disrupting the delicate balance of nature. We call upon authorities to increase awareness among residents on the best practices to maintain the natural ecosystem, which could help reduce the menace,” Mafuka said.
She urged residents to promote domestic animal rearing as a viable solution to reduce the community’s reliance on hunting wild animals.
“If people can rear more goats, rabbits, and other smaller stock, they can supplement their diet and reduce the need to hunt in the forest. This would not only help conserve wildlife but also promote sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
By adopting this approach, Mafuka believes the community can reduce human-wildlife conflict and promote a more harmonious relationship between humans and animals.
Hyenas can travel up to 70km in one night scavenging for food, which makes it difficult to pinpoint their origin, as they can hunt in areas more than 40km away.
Similar cases of human-wildlife conflict have been reported in other parts of Masvingo. In Bikita, for instance, residents have faced problems with lions, cheetahs, and hyenas roaming freely in search of water and food. In Zaka, baboons and wild pigs were reported to have terrorized locals during the farming season by targeting crops.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has attributed most of these clashes to habitat loss caused by a wild animal population explosion. In 2020, the authority reported that 20 people had died in human-wildlife conflicts across the country in the first five months of the year.
