HWANGE East legislator Joseph Bonda has expressed concern over an increase in cases of human-wildlife conflict in his constituency.Several people have fallen victim to dangerous wild animals such as elephants, lions, hyenas, leopards or crocodiles.Bonda made the remarks during a question and answer session in the National Assembly recently while directing questions to the Environment, Climate and Wildlife Management minister, Evelyn Ndlovu.He said several people died in attacks by elephants, crocodiles and lions.“What is government's policy on assisting people injured or killed by wild animals in Zimbabwe?”In response, Ndlovu said the government had put in place programmes to minimise conflict between people and wildlife.“One of those policies is that we have gone into partnerships because we have difficulties in funding the equipment that is required to protect our people and wildlife,” Ndlovu said.“So, we have gone into a joint venture and this joint venture has facilitated for us to acquire state-of-the-art equipment.The equipment shows the movement of elephants and other endangered species. I launched the equipment two weeks ago at Hwange National Park to make sure we protect and monitor the movement of animals.”Ndlovu said the government worked with the leadership in rural areas to effectively implement the programme.“We have asked them to appoint representatives and the representatives have been given equipment.“That equipment is facilitating the link between the Central Monitoring Centre, which is in Hwange National Park and the rest of the country.“Every endangered animal, including the elephant, is tagged with a chip to make sure its movement is monitored and managed. “If we see a danger to the community, immediately communication between the centre and those given equipment takes place, including our rangers who are scattered throughout the country.”Ndlovu said the government had policies that protected people and animals, adding that through the introduction of such programmes, they ensured the safety of people.Human fatalities from wildlife attacks in Zimbabwe went up to 18 deaths in the first quarter of 2025, a 20% increase compared to 15 deaths recorded in the same period last year, according to ZimParks.
