Marauding Baboons Terrorise Hwange Villagers
Residents of Chisuma village in Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province, are living in fear due to the increasing menace of marauding troops of baboons.
Once a rare sight in the area, baboons have now become a constant nuisance, wreaking havoc on homes, gardens, and livestock within the village.
Speaking to VicFallsLive, Sikhanyiso Moyo, a community representative, expressed the villagers’ concerns, stating that the baboons have been killing chickens and goats. She said:
We have a huge problem with baboons. They destroy our vegetables, attack our homes, and kill our chickens and goats. It’s like they have no season, they come anytime and cause havoc.
Eneles Moyo, another Chisuma village resident, described an even more distressing aspect of the baboon attacks, saying the primates beat up children and throw stones at them when they try to chase them away. Said Moyo:
We can’t even plant crops without them digging up the seeds. They prey on our chickens and goats, leaving us with nothing.
It’s been years, but with the drought, it’s gotten worse. They even beat and throw rocks at our children when they try to chase them away.
We leave our homes to safeguard our crops, but they still find ways to destroy them. They even break into our homes, destroying our thatch and property.
We need help now, not tomorrow. Our children are being beaten, our livestock is being killed, and our homes are being destroyed. We can’t wait any longer.
The Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill, currently under review, aims to address human-wildlife conflict, among other issues.
The Bill provides for the establishment of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund to provide compensation for crop destruction and livestock loss, as well as the administration of the fund at the district level.
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