Cases Of Human Wildlife Conflict On The Rise

Cases of human-wildlife conflict are on the rise, with 45 people having been killed and 40 others injured since January this year.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said overpopulation of animals is one of the major causes of human-animal conflicts. He said:

We are losing people due to wild animals. People should be benefiting from wildlife but people are killed so we want to lobby the international community. Those who are living adjacent to the parks are the mainly affected.

Overpopulation of elephants and other surges in wildlife numbers is increasing the chances of human-animal contact and raises the chances of people killed and injured by the animals.

We are doing a lot of programs and awareness campaigns educating people about the dangers of wild animals and how to react and protect them.

Buy Samsung, itel, Redmi smartphones in Zimbabwe

WhatsApp: +263715068543

Wild animals stray to human settlements in search of food and water, especially during drought seasons and end up attacking people, Farawo said.

Conflicts are rampant in areas that are close to national parks such as Save Conservancy, Gonarezhou, Hwange and Mana Pools National Parks.

In 2021, 72 people were killed while several others were injured by wild animals across the country.

According to Zimparks, elephants accounted for half of the killings, followed by crocodiles at 40 per cent, with lions and buffaloes at 10 per cent.

More: The Herald