Rangers Put Down Three Stray Elephants in Mutare (Zimbabwe)

Author(s)

James Muonwa, The New Zimbabwe

Date Published

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Three elephants, believed to have been part of a large herd that strayed into Mutsago village in Mutare, have been shot dead.

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) had on Wednesday put communities on high alert after the jumbos were spotted in the Mutsago area of Mutare Rural District Council (RDC)’s Ward 24.              

ZimParks spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo confirmed the animals had been shot dead.

“Three stray elephants in Mutsago village have been eliminated,” said Farawo.

He had earlier warned ZimParks was likely to use lethal means to keep villagers safe from the marauding jumbos that were threatening communities, particularly during the night.

Meanwhile, two unidentified elderly women were reportedly killed when they encountered elephants. Another is nursing injuries following an attack.

“It is with great sadness that two elderly women were killed by elephants in two separate incidents in Kariba and Mbire, while the other was seriously injured,” said Farawo.

Elephants at times wade into villages in search of food and water, and this often results in human-wildlife conflict cases in which people are killed or maimed.

About 90% of people who died in human-animal conflict in Zimbabwe last year, were killed by elephants.

A total 72 people were trampled by jumbos in 2021 alone, while about the same number of people were injured resulting in terminal disabilities.

https://www.newzimbabwe.com/rangers-put-down-three-stray-elephants-in-mutare/