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Michael Magoronga
Correspondent
Back in 2021, a 35-year-old Kwekwe man was trampled to death by an elephant from a herd which had encroached into the peripheries of Kwekwe town.
The man was killed after he allegedly sought to take selfies of himself and the elephant, resulting in the tragedy.
This left the Kwekwe community shell shocked and perhaps left a lesson that humans and wildlife should give each other space to avoid unnecessary clashes.
It turns out the elephants had been tracking along their corridor, but found it blocked by human inhabitants and they strayed.
Fast forward to 2024, amid the El-Nino induced drought that has been declared a disaster in most SADC countries, including Zimbabwe, people go out of their way to eke a living, including entering uncharted territories in search for livelihoods.
These escapades include getting into forests in search of food, firewood and water, among other things.
Wildlife has also been hit hard by the drought as most water bodies have since dried up and they also go out of their way in search for water and food.
Usually, humans and wildlife clash at water points, most of which they are now sharing due to the water crisis.
This comes as statistics from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) show that close to 300 people were killed by wild animals and 308 injured between 2019 and 2023 as human-wildlife conflict cases continue to rise countrywide.
Zimparks director Dr Fulton Mangwanya was recently quoted as saying the situation on the ground is not pleasant.
“Sixty-seven people were killed in 2022 and the number decreased in 2023 to 50 and the injured were 65 in 2022 and 85 in 2023.
“We have 283 people who were killed from 2019 to 2023 and 308 injuries. During the same period, 697 cattle, 1 113 goats and 118 donkeys were killed. This is not good for our people,” he said.
Redcliff is one such town with a potential of recording human-wildlife conflicts cases as baboons and monkeys have since invaded the mountainous dormitory town in search for food and water.
During a Redcliff master plan presentation recently, lead planner, Dr Shamiso Hazel Mafuku highlighted the issue as a challenge.
“We have had an influx of baboons and monkeys as well as snakes in Redcliff. We should look for ways of engaging Zimparks to find ways of scaring them away,” she said.
Mayor Vincent Masiiwa, however, said the animals were not harmful to people.
“They have time to come to the homesteads in search of food. Inasmuch as some of them get into people’s homes, if they leave doors or windows open, we have yet to hear of an incident where they have harmed a human. In fact, I encourage that whenever they come, people should give them their space and avoid being confrontational,” he said.
He, however, said they were engaging Zimparks to try and educate the community on coexistence.
“We want people to be educated to live harmoniously with wildlife. If they see a snake, they should alert Zimparks instead of trying to kill it as this may result in unnecessary loss of lives,” he said.
Sebakwe Anti-poaching and Conservation Group operates within the Sebakwe Conservancy between Mvuma and Kwekwe.
The conservancy shares boundaries with the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy and both have had an influx of uncoordinated settlements as some people were occupying land within the conservancies.
The challenge is that the unregulated human settlements are taking place, some of them along elephant corridors.
Sebakwe Anti-poaching and Conservation Group senior wildlife and conservation officer Mr Onward Fume said, “We are having a problem of uncoordinated settlements within the conservancy, especially in the Mahamara area. Though some farmers understand how to co-exist with wildlife, the majority of them do not know anything which poses a great threat to both humans and wildlife. In fact, most of them are building their homesteads along corridors which becomes a problem when the elephants track back,” he said.
Mr Fume said due to climate change, humans and people are meeting at water points and there was need to educate humans on how to coexist with wildlife.
“Most water points are drying up due to siltation and climate change effects. The situation becomes dire for both humans and wildlife and they share water bodies which becomes dangerous for both of them.
We are, however, carrying environmental awareness around Sebakwe Conservation Complex so that we make people aware of the dangers and what to do if they encounter wildlife,” he said.
Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy (MBRC) conservator, Mr Brilliant Chibura echoed the same sentiments, saying haphazard settlements had exposed wildlife to many risks.
“There are areas where crop fields have been established on elephant and rhino corridors. The black rhino no longer has access to the whole 63 000 hectares of the MBRC, resulting in a clumped population dispersal model which exposes them to poaching. A rhino calf was lost to snaring in May 2024. Two elephants were wounded in May in a problem animal control attempt. They had eaten crops at an unfenced new crop field that was established on their corridor for many decades. Elephants have a long-term memory of their routes, and it is sad to think how many more elephants will be taken in this manner,” he said.
Presenting the Zibagwe Rural District Council Master Plan recently, lead planner, Mr Jamison Mikuku highlighted the need to preserve corridors, saying they cause unnecessary clashes between humans and wildlife.
“There are encroachments by farmers and poaching threatening the life of the conservancy. The conservancy is also facing overdrawing of water from Sebakwe Dam even when the dam is below 50 percent cut off point. This justifies the need for planning interventions to introduce order and co-existence of the two conflicting land uses through zoning,” he said.
He said population growth of both humans and wildlife created land use conflicts in the district which require spatial planning interventions.
He said co-existence should be explored and the MBRC should be protected from poaching and encroachment through land use zoning.
Zimparks spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo is on record saying the growing population of both humans and wildlife calls for co-existence.
“The human population continues to grow while the wildlife population also continues to balloon but the land size remains the same. There is, therefore, a need to co-exist between humans and wildlife, giving each other space. Given the climate change conditions, humans and wildlife also tend to clash at water points and there is a need to give each other space,” he said.
Statistics show that Hwange National Park, with a capacity of holding about 15 000 elephants, is now home to about 50 000 elephants.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter