TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Residents in Victoria Falls are living in fear of elephants roaming the area, Business Times can report.
Kelvin Moyo, the Victoria Falls Residents Association Chairperson, has called on the authorities to take urgent action as the elephants were posing a danger to community members.
“…The elephants are now a perennial problem. The situation is bad as far as these incidents are concerned. These incidents are continuing and the residents are really worried about this,” Moyo said.
He added: There was a case of William who was trampled to death by an elephant recently.
It is very unfortunate and we don’t know what to do.”
Moyo said the residents have tried to engage with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) on eliminating the problem.
“We have tried to engage with national parks as we are more or less in a national park and these human wildlife conflicts are inevitable in my view and you will always find out that one way or the other there will be these conflicts but we won’t condone the loss of lives.
“Life is sacred and it has to be protected by all means at any given time and the respective authorities council, residents representatives, the national parks, the police and other arms of government should come together and find a very lasting solution because it is not good.
“It does not give a good picture to say year in year out to talk of the same thing. The same incidents people are losing lives out of situations where the dangers or death could have been avoidable.”
A Victoria Falls bartender was trampled to death by an elephant near the main police station in the early hours of Sunday last week as he was walking home from work.
