Walter Nyamukondiwa Kariba Bureau

STAKEHOLDERS in Kariba have come together to craft a strategic plan to mitigate human/wildlife conflict, amid growing concerns over human encroachment into wildlife habitats.

Widespread conflicts are common in occupied buffer zones in Hurungwe, Gokwe, Hwange and Mhangura, among other areas, where animal-borne diseases such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) and rabies are affecting livestock.

Animal deaths have been reported in Doma (Makonde), Nyamakate (Hurungwe), Sebungwe and Chirisa communities where settlements were established in buffer zones which separate human settlements from animal habitats.

This has resulted in more than 300 deaths from animal attacks as game corridors, which are used by animals to access water sources, are being closed and buffer zones occupied, putting people on collision course with animals.

According to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), at least 26 percent of land has been designated as protected areas, but there are fears the figures have dropped further as the population grows and demand for land increases.

Communities have pointed fingers at Zimparks for prioritising animals over them.

The strategic planning workshop comes as one person was killed by lions at the Bumi Hills airstrip in Mola, Nyaminyami district, on Monday evening.

The lions pounced on him before knocking him off his motorbike and killing him.

Zimparks rangers managed to track the lions on the same evening and killed them.

Rangers gutted the cats to retrieve Bucha Kapandura’s remains for burial.

Zimparks cluster manager for the Mid-Zambezi Mr Felix Chimeramombe said there was need to come up with strategies to reduce conflict between humans and animals.

The Garande family has occupied land in the Charara National Park and continues to grow, parcelling out land to offspring while some people are occupying land in the Doma area of Mhangura and parts of Hurungwe.

Some Kariba residents expressed concern over the mushrooming of new construction projects in game corridors which was forcing animals, especially elephants, to turn to routes used by humans.

Mr John Chirinda said construction was going on in game corridors, which affected the movement of animals in Kariba.

His sentiments were dismissed by council which said it was suffering loss of revenue by protecting the game corridors when there was demand for land.

Deputy housing director Mr Casper Mutumbami said council was doing everything to protect the game corridors, but they were not getting anything from Zimparks.

Some residents said Zimparks was not ploughing back into the community or chipping in to assist when families lose breadwinners through paying of school fees and other provisions.