Masvingo jumbo population surges
The Herald 19/11/2018
Masvingo Correspondent
The elephant population in Masvingo has increased to over 11 000, more than double the province’s carrying capacity, a senior Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority official has revealed.
Zimparks director-general Mr Filton Mangwanya last week said the majority of the jumbos were in sanctuaries such as Kyle Recreational Park, Gonarezhou National Park, Save Valley Conservancy and Mushandike Sanctuary.
He said Government was scaling up security efforts to protect the jumbos from poachers.
“We have in excess of 11 000 jumbos in Masvingo province alone and they will give impetus to the tourism and hospitality industry,” said Mr Mangwanya. “The elephants should, therefore, be protected against the scourge of poaching since they form part of the umbilical cord of the entire tourism sector.
“‘The high elephant population is also clear testimony of the hard conservation work done by Zimparks in Masvingo.”
The surge in the aggregate jumbo population in the province comes as the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Cde Ezra Chadzamira last week revealed that Government was forging ahead with plans to rehabilitate several game reserves to create employment, generate foreign currency and boost Masvingo’s economy.
Cde Chadzamira said the high elephant population in the province raised the need to boost tourism for Masvingo to fully leverage on its wildlife through tourism.
“We are proud to hear that our province is home to more than 11 000 elephants and as a province it us our goal to make sure our people accrue benefits from their wildlife resource through job creation and recreation,” he said.
Cde Chadzamira said there was need to relocate some of the elephants in the future to ensure that the province remained with a sustainable number.
He said the province could also cull some of the elephants and benefit from the sale of their skins and other products.
“Masvingo is home to the country’s biggest man-made lakes in the form of Lakes Mutirikwi and Tugwi-Mukosi,” said Cde Chadzamira.