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Ivan Zhakata-Herald Correspondent
SCIENTISTS have fitted GPS-enabled satellite collars on eight African savannah elephants roaming close to Hwange National Park.
Linked to “Earth Ranger” enabled technology, the elephants will now be monitored around the clock as they traverse heavily populated surrounding community lands, providing rangers with real-time data needed to prevent and respond to incidents of human-elephant conflict.
The 10-day exercise was a joint operation between International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).
The organisations supported efforts by scientists and conservationists in Zimbabwe to use cutting-edge technologies to search and generate data to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
ZimParks director-general Professor Edson Gandiwa said together with IFAW, they strongly believe that conservation should be grounded in solid science.
“We are confident that this initiative will ensure that conservation decisions are informed by robust scientific data, allowing for more effective protection strategies and fostering a harmonious coexistence between people and nature,” he said.
The recent collaring operation brings to 16, the number of elephants collared by IFAW and ZimParks since early 2024.
This enabled conservationists to monitor the interactions of up to 200 elephants, given each collared elephant typically belongs to a herd of around 10 animals.
MrcPhillip Kuvawoga, senior director of Conservation Programmes at IFAW, said the Hwange Matetsi-Zambezi landscape was a key part of the landscape for the IFAW’s Room to Roam initiative, which aims to reconnect fragmented habitats and allow wildlife to migrate along their ancient routes.
“With the information set to be generated from the GPS collars, we can now focus our efforts on protecting areas where elephants need to be and developing informed interventions to guide human-wildlife mitigation interventions,” he said.
Data generated will be critical for IFAW and ZimParks’ efforts to reduce conflicts between people and elephants in the human-dominated landscape on the edge of the 14 600km² Hwange National Park, and the wider Hwange-Matetsi-Zambezi landscape.
Online Reporter