Elephants in grave danger
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Elephants in the country’s largest National Park are at serious risk as
water and food shortages bite.
18.11.1104:45pm
by Zwanai Sithole Harare
Wildlife conservationists who spoke to The Zimbabwean said the current heat
wave had worsened the situation in the park where jumbos and buffaloes are
reportedly dying every day due to thirst and stress.
“Elephants and other wild animals are competing for water at the few
remaining water sources in the park. To worsen the situation, veld fires
have destroyed grass and edible trees for elephants. Elephants are now
travelling to neighbouring Botswana in search of food and water,” said Helen
Martin, a wild life conservationist doing research in the area.
Martin said of the 10 water holes in the giant national park, only three
were functioning.
“Most of the water holes in the park have dried up. I went around the water
holes last week and saw decomposing carcases of elephants and buffaloes
strewn all over the place. Disaster is looming if the rains do not fall
within the next few days,” she said.
A National Park and Wildlife Management Authority worker at the main camp
also told The Zimbabwean that several elephants had died this week at
Guvalala and Tchabema water holes. The worker said the diesel –powered
boreholes which NPWMA installed during the height of the 2002 draught were
failing to cope with the desperate situation.
“There is chaos in the park. The pumps are few and they are pumping very
little water, which is not enough for the thousands of elephants in the
park,” said the worker.
Hwange national park is believed to be home to about 70 000 elephants,
against a holding capacity of 30 000. NPWMA spokesperson, Caroline
Washaya-Moyo, could not be reached for comment.