TWO people died while one was seriously injured after being attacked by marauding elephants in Muzarabani and Mbire on Wednesday last week.

BY SIMBARASHE SITHOLE

Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the Muzarabani case.

“I can confirm that two brothers from Nyamaro village, Muzarabani, were working in a field when an elephant charged at Tinashe Dzoro (10) who was trampled to death while his brother Solomon (12) escaped with serious injuries,” Mundembe said.

In a related matter, a 22-year-old man from ward 12 Mbire district was trampled to death, while working in his field.

Mbire legislator Douglas Karoro confirmed the incident.

“I can confirm that Robert Tauzen was trampled by an elephant and died on the spot. He was buried yesterday,” Karoro said.

Karoro bemoaned increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict in his constituency and appealed for help from the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Mbire Rural District Council to save lives.

“In my constituency of Mbire, ward 2 alone has lost four people to wild animal attacks in less than 12 months. This is heartbreaking. A fortnight ago we lost another life to a hippopotamus attack in ward 5, Chidodo. We appeal to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in conjunction with our Rural District Council to capacitate their problem animal control units so that they provide the much-needed security to vulnerable community members. We also appeal for a fence that will demarcate the communal area from the national parks zone. This way we expect wildlife to be confined in the national parks zone.”