Think again at CoP17
During the period 2010-2015, human and wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe’s communal areas has resulted in the loss of 88 lives,
Over 5000 livestock, 6000 hectares of crops, and irrigation and water supply equipment.
Some of the recent deaths include school children and heads of households as shown below:
| Gaison Chitsove, 14: Killed by elephant on 2 February 2016 while herding cattle in Kamumbembe village, Mbire District | Fezile Moyo, 14: Killed by elephant at water point on 19 November 2015 in Dzibalekhiwa, Tsholotsho | Commerce Karunga, 45: Killed by buffalo while guarding crops on 10 September 2016 in Chiramba village, Mbire District | Jackson Kasinaukuse, 50: Killed by elephant while guarding crops on 18 December 2015 in Kanhukamwe village, Muzarabani District | Olivia Ndlovu, 68: Killed by elephant at water point on 18 October 2015 in Tshotanda, Tsholotsho District | John Mumpande, 41: Killed by elephant while going to elds with wife on 8 April 2016 in Kamalala village, Hwange district. |
| Sadly these people were killed because they live with dangerous wildlife. | |||||
“On 9 January 2016, a female lion struck a cow in the field of a villager at Masuwe in Chidobe area of Hwange district. The villagers woke up and fought the lion to rescue the cow. The lion ran away and some villagers remained behind guarding the cow, while others went to make a report to the Parks officer. Later the lion came back swiftly and jumped onto one of the women and started eating her alive”. –Eyewitness.
Rural communities would prefer to receive benefits from the sustainable use of dangerous wildlife instead of converting their land to other uses.
Think again at CoP17.
Think again before you up-list the African Elephant and African Lion on Appendix I
