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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
WHEN American dentist and trophy hunter Dr Walter Palmer killed Cecil the lion at Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North in 2015, there was a global outrage by animal activists about the “callous act.”

However, communities surrounding Hwange National Park celebrated the death of the popular animal.

Their celebration was not out of malice but grief that communities have endured from lions, among other animals preying on their livestock and even attacking them.

Fast forward to 2021, the issue of human-animal conflict remains a topical issue among communities surrounding Hwange National Park, among other conservancy areas countrywide.

Authorities say on a daily basis, the country records between two to three distress calls from communities who would have had nasty encounters with animals.

Mr Isaac Nyoni, an assistant village head of Nyoni village in Hwange District near Dete, Matabeleland North has lost 11 cattle in the past three years after they were devoured by lions.

In monetary terms, he has lost about US$4 400 as beasts cost at least US$400 in the area.

Mr Nyoni narrates how devastating it is to lose his source of livelihood to wild animals which raid his kraal.

He is not the only one facing this predicament but that is the reality of communities living close to Hwange National Park, the biggest wild animal park in the country.

Mr Nyoni, who was speaking at his homestead, resting on an armchair, calmly recalls the community’s worst encounter as far as human-animal conflict is concerned when a lion killed his niece, a Grade One pupil while on her way to school about four years ago.

“What really angered me then is that we had spotted the lion at about 5PM and informed authorities who told us they will look into the issue the following morning. So, on the following day, the lion killed my niece when she was on her way to school,” said Mr Nyoni.

He said his community does not know peace due to constant invasion by animals.

“We have to herd the cattle all the time because the moment the sun sets and you don’t know where your animal is, you are guaranteed that you have lost it to wild animals. We have a serious problem of lions that intrude our community and invade our kraals and kill and eat our cattle. In the past three years, I have lost a head of 11 cattle to lions.

Hyenas are also a menace, as you can see, (while pointing to his goat kraal) I have elevated my goats’ kraal because if I don’t do that the hyenas would come here, dig under the kraal and kill my goats. My brother is now left with only four head of cattle due to animals killing our livestock,” he said.

The community has placed some plastics, some of them white and other red across their kraals saying this is a measure to scare away animals but it’s not always effective.

Mr Nyoni said during the farming season they have to deal with elephants that invade their farms destroying their crops.

The assistant village head said at no point should anyone leave their homesteads unguarded as the premises would be ransacked by animals.

“In the evening, it’s lions, elephants, hyenas, wild dogs that terrorise us and during the day it’s the baboons. So, we are really having serious problems with animals. And this problem seems to be on the increase in the past few years. We never used to face these challenges that we are experiencing now. Maybe the animal population has increased at the park forcing animals to outsource but you would need the parks authorities to tell you about the animal population,” he said.

Mr Nyoni said while living closer to the park was a disadvantage as their livestock is sometimes killed by the animals, the game park has good pastures for their animals as well.

He said Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has allowed them to graze their animals in the park, as they also face shortage of pastures due to climate change.

Another villager Mrs Sibonile Luphahla, a widow from Mabale village in the same district, said communities have been forced to innovate to protect their livestock.

“We are now forced to construct our kraals within our homesteads as a measure to ward off animals from invading kraals and killing our livestock. I’ve lost several donkeys to lions and hyenas. As a widow, I cannot wake up at night to chase away these dangerous animals so it’s better if the kraal is within my yard,” said Mrs Luphahla, adding that the strategy seems to be working as she has not lost more since her new move.

She said there is an unwritten dusk to dawn curfew as community members live in fear of animal attacks during the night.

“There are a lot of animals in this community. So, it’s known that you can’t travel at night as you would be at risk of being eaten or attacked by the animals. While animals usually travel at night these days there is an elephant that is roaming in the community even during the day.

It seems it is hurt and when it moves, it makes a loud sound. We suspect that it was snared by poachers, those who have watched it closely said it would be dragging its leg,” she said.

Mrs Luphahla said while human animal conflict is inevitable around their community, poachers exacerbate the problem because a wounded animal is a dangerous animal.

Her sentiments were echoed by Chief Nelukoba from Mabale who said in the past few years, they are seeing a rise in human animal conflicts.

Chief Nelukoba said the animal population now outweighs the national parks ecological systems forcing animals to invade communities.

“In the past elephants wouldn’t charge at you but these days you can’t move past elephants. These animals have been shot and wounded. If you shoot and wound an animal and fail to kill it, it becomes aggressive and dangerous to people. Also, the animals are too many, in the past there used to be culling of elephants but this is no longer done,” said Chief Nelukoba.

While the country is battling with increasing human animal conflicts, Zimbabwe is facing challenges in terms of reducing its animal population.

The country is bound by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which prevents the trade in ivory.

As a result, the country is sitting on a US$600 million stockpile of ivory which it has failed to dispose due to the international trade ban.
Hwange Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Phindile Ncube said human animal conflict will be a permanent feature of communities living close to parks.

“Hwange RDC is within an animal corridor; 50 percent of our land is occupied by parks and forestry and naturally we co-exist with these animals. The major challenge that we have to contend with is that, Hwange National Park is the largest park in Zimbabwe, obviously animals will stray from parks into communal areas. And if that happens there is bound to be human animal conflicts. We naturally receive quite a number of reports particularly in terms of the elephants and lions,” said Mr Ncube.

He said the local authority has established a response team whose reactions are dependent on reports made by the community.

Mr Ncube said worsening the situation is communities that graze their animals at parks.

He said in the past year, most of the victims of animal attacks are the elderly, who because of old age have developed hearing challenges.

“The moment these animals stray into communal areas in search of pastures of water, there is bound to be conflict because that is where communities water their herd or graze their livestock. Whilst there is this gentlemen’s agreement between communities and parks to graze their animals in parks, one of the effects of grazing in the park is that the animals will then track livestock back into the communities and attack humans there as well,” he said.

Zimparks, whose mandate is to manage wild animals at the country’s national park, said due to climate change, the country is recording an increase in human animal conflicts as animals and people compete for scarce resources.

Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said on a daily basis the country records up to three distress calls from communities who would have had an encounter with animals.

He said resources in the national park no longer match the ever-increasing animal population.

“There is the issue of climate change, we have been having inconsistent rains over the years. We are witnessing an ever-increasing population of our animals and because the animals are on the increase, they then encroach into communities in search of food and in search of water resulting in conflicts,” he said.

“Human-animal conflicts are happening in almost every part of the country. We receive almost every day, two or three distress calls from our communities and numbers have been going up so are the fatalities. People are killed and injured by animals.”

Mr Farawo said the elephant population also threatens the park environment, but little is being told of the developing problem.

“Because of climate change, there is the destruction of habitats or vegetation for animals. It’s one of the under estimated problems that we are facing. The elephants are slowly becoming a danger to themselves because they are destroying their habitats and destroy other animals’ habitats,” said Mr Farawo.

He said there is a need to control the animal population at the country’s national parks to mitigate human animal conflicts.

Mr Farawo said fencing off national parks such as the Hwange National Park, is not an option and disturbs the natural order of the game.

“It’s not possible to fence a place like Hwange National Park, it’s too big, in small private conservancy people can put fences but not in Hwange. We believe that our animals must be in their natural state,” said Mr Farawo.-@nqotshili