Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, Zimpapers Writer
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has granted permission to Save Valley Conservancy to carry out an elephant population management initiative, citing ecological imbalances caused by overpopulation.
In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the management quota will involve the reduction of an initial 50 elephants as part of wider efforts to preserve the integrity of the conservancy’s wildlife habitat.
“The management quota is meant to address the growing elephant population in the region and will initially target 50 elephants,” he said.
Mr Farawo said findings from the 2024 aerial wildlife survey revealed that Save Valley Conservancy is home to 2 550 elephants, which is more than three times its ecological carrying capacity of 800.
Conservation experts have raised concerns that such high numbers are unsustainable and pose a threat to both biodiversity and the long-term health of the ecosystem.
“Over the past five years, the conservancy translocated 200 elephants to Hurungwe and Sapi to manage the elephant population and protect the wildlife habitat,” said Mr Farawo.
He said as part of the management process, meat from the culled elephants will be distributed to local communities while all ivory recovered will remain the property of the State entrusted to ZimParks for safekeeping.
Mr Farawo said the operation is in line with Zimbabwe’s conservation principles and reflects a strategic approach to sustainable wildlife management.
“We remain committed to responsible sustainable management of wildlife resources for the benefit of present and future generations,” he said.
Recently, ZimParks partnered with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to collar 16 elephants with GPS-enabled satellite devices in a bold move to stop jumbo-human clashes in communities bordering Hwange National Park.
The high-tech collars are no ordinary bling — they’re connected to the “Earth Ranger” system, a real-time tracking platform that lets rangers monitor the elephants 24/7.
Each collared elephant is a walking radar for a herd of around 10, meaning over 200 jumbo movements can now be tracked and intercepted before damage — or danger — strikes.
The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Kaza-TFCA) areal survey revealed that elephants population increased to 227 900 elephants in the bloc, from 216 970 in 2016.
The ballooning elephant population causes wildlife migration to human settlements, as various animal species seek food and water.
Of the five Kaza-partner countries — Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — Botswana remains highly populated with 131 090 elephants, which translates to 58 percent of the total Kaza elephant population followed by Zimbabwe with 65 028 elephants, which is 29 percent.
Zimbabwe had 57 398 elephants in the Kaza-administered areas in 2016. Zambia has the lowest population of elephants at 3 840, Angola 65 983 and Namibia 21 090.
The country is sitting on millions worth of ivory stockpile which it cannot sell due to the ban on international trade in elephant tusks.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) banned international trade in ivory in 1989.
Recognising that some Southern African elephant populations were healthy and well-managed, CITES permitted Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to make a one-off sale of their ivory in 1997 and 2008.
Zimbabwe wants CITES to lift the international trade in ivory to enable it to use the proceeds to fund its wildlife conservation programmes, which include anti-poaching activities, drilling boreholes at the Hwange National Park to avert water shortages, particularly during droughts as well as combating human-wildlife conflict.
Bongani Ndlovu