in Zimbabwe, elephants threaten the lives of people

In Zimbabwe, after sunset, herds of wild elephants charge men and approach villages. “It’s terrible, the moment they come into the field, they destroy everything”, says a man. According to the government, every month on average, 10 people are killed by elephants. A 30-year-old man died, trampled by an elephant. He cultivated in his field, located by the river.

“The human population is growing, that of animals too, they have to share the same resources. When we say that there is competition for natural resources, that’s what it is about”says Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks. The country is home to 100,000 pachyderms, a quarter of Africa’s elephants. According to specialists, there would be twice as many animals compared to the space and resources available. “We must be able to regulate them (…) another method would be to transfer them to other countries”noted Tarcisius Mahuni, forest ranger, environmental manager. In Zimbabwe, it is forbidden to kill an elephant, unless it attacks.