The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has come under fire from Marange villagers for failing to replace damaged boundary fence at game parks which has resulted in stray animals attacking people and destroying their crops.
This follows last week incident in which the Marange community was plunged into mourning after a St Andrews Mweyamutsvene High School teacher was attacked by six stray elephants from the Save Conservancy.
Mr James Musiwacho’s death came barely six weeks after another man Mr Wilson Mahupani Mapakame was trampled by another elephant, which had strayed from Save Conservancy, in Chipinge.
In 2017, buffaloes also escaped from the same game park into Marange where they injured several people and destroyed crops.
In separate speeches at the burial of Mr Musiwacho in Masvaure Village on Wednesday, villagers expressed disappointment at Zimparks’ failure to confine the wild animals to the game parks.
They said authorities should have better tracking systems for wild animals to ensure that those that stray are captured before they reach human settlements.
Mutare RDC Ward 19 councillor, Clr Pindukai Muzivi said the continuous straying of wild animals into communal lands was a sign of negligence on the part of authorities.
“All national parks should be protected so that there is no human-wildlife conflict that ends in this manner. This funeral has been made more painful by the fact that it could have been avoided had there been a perimeter fence at the game park. Zimparks needs to mend the fences that surround Save Conservancy as a matter of urgency because this is not the first incident where human life has been lost nor will it be the last,” he said.
“We say game parks are part of the tourist attractions that will bring money into the province, but then where is the beauty of it when the animals kill people? In 2017, we had buffaloes that strayed into this area. Villagers killed them but to our surprise, they were arrested,” he said.
