Melinda Kusemachibi
With human-elephant conflict escalating in Manicaland, Masvingo province is already suffering the same fate witnessed by the shooting of two elephants by Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) in Chiteni Village under Chief Ndanga in Zaka after the villagers had reported the matter to police.
The villagers at Ndanga reportedly provoked the elephants by stoning resulting in the latter turning violent.
Chief Ndanga born Wilson Makono said they do not know exactly where the elephants were coming from.
“We do not know where the elephants are coming from and sometimes people will be excited that they have seen elephants and start throwing stones with dogs chasing them. This has caused the elephants to become violent and resultantly attack people,” said Makono.
One of the villagers in Ndanga said that they are now living in fear due to the continued presence of the giant animals which they are not used to co-habit with.
“We are living in fear the stray elephants came from nowhere and we are suspecting they could have travelled all the way from Save Valley Conservancy since villagers are destroying the perimeter fences. We cannot be blamed, but the elephants come and destroy our gardens, eating our crops,” said the villager.
Fauna and Flora Zimbabwe (FaFlo Zim) director Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa said that elephants attack when they are provoked.
“Elephants are social beings. They rarely attack if unprovoked. If they feel threatened, they attack. They will trample. They are intelligent and they do not easily forget,” said Nyamukondiwa.
He also added that co-existence is the only solution in solving human elephant conflict.
“Elephants will not forget that the human race is eliminating them. Will they forgive us? Co-existence is the solution to solve the issue of human elephant conflict.
“Are we (humans) not declaring war on elephants? It is time to move from conflict to co-existence. HEC should mean Human Elephant Co-existence and not Human Elephant Conflict,” he added.
Conservation activist Sharon Hoole said human wildlife conflict is a sensitive issue that needs to be looked into closely.
“HEC is such an emotive subject dreadful outcome in most cases for communities with crop raiding wildlife not only elephants but warthogs and baboons. Humans are trying to deter elephants from their fields and see them as the enemy. Answers are right in front of us, sustainable methods and non-lethal solutions are right here but no one is empowering them.
“There is less funding from the government, Zimparks is in capacitated. You get a lot of hunting safari operators who are exploiting the natural resources but there is no development on the ground that is the beginning of human and wildlife conflict. People on the ground see animals as problems not investments,” said Hoole.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana posted a tweet saying that HWC had become quite emotive.
“Judging by responses to my Zaka post yesterday, the issue of HWC has become quite emotive. This year alone 60 Zimbabweans has lost their lives to elephants and 50 injured. In 2021, 72 lost their lives.
“It is reported that in Bubi elephants are moving in numerous herds and have devoured everything in the fields and now moving into homesteads forcing community members to retaliate in the process injuring some of the elephants. The injured ones have become aggressive and uncontrollable,” said Mangwana.
However in a related issue, in Zaka, Zibwowa area in ward 20 a beast suspected to be a lion killed an ox belonging to Mapira Chinoda of Chinoda village on May 7 and is it reported that no Zimparks personnel came to the rescue of the panicking community members.
Conflict between people and animals is one of the main threats to the continued survival of many species in different parts of the world, which is also a significant threat to local communities and if solutions to conflict are not adequate, local support for conservation also declines.
Elephants were seen by villagers moving towards Ngungunyani forests under Chief Mapungwana in Chipinge.
In Chanyamukwakwa village in Chipinge South elephants recently killed two women and a baby.
