Conflicts with wildlife skyrocketing in Zimbabwe’s rural areas

Injuries, deaths, loss of livestock and crops are being recorded across the country

(Unsplash)

By Mary Mundeya for The Feed Zw

Human wildlife conflict is becoming a major challenge in Zimbabwe. Increasing populations of both humans and animals lead to competition over resources, leading animals to stray into settlements. Mary Mundeya of The Feed Zw visited Mbire region, where farmers and villagers told her of their challenges. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority recorded over 2,000 distress calls in 2021 alone, and is educating communities on how to deal with conflicts.

Watch Mary’s mini documentary here.

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate.