Zimbabwe to Track Female Elephants in Hwange to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflict

Photo courtesy of World Animal News
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HARARE — Zimbabwe is set to collar and track dominant female elephants in Hwange National Park, aiming to reduce human-wildlife conflict in areas where the country’s significant elephant population often clashes with rural communities.

According to Bloomberg, the initiative, spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) in collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), seeks to monitor elephant herd movements as they traverse park boundaries, frequently destroying crops and endangering residents.

Focus on Matriarchs

Hwange National Park, a sprawling reserve in north-west Zimbabwe, is home to approximately half of the country’s 100,000 elephants, the world’s second-largest elephant population after neighbouring Botswana. Elephants in the park live in matriarchal herds, led by dominant females.

By fitting eight matriarchs with satellite-enabled GPS collars, the programme aims to track the movements of their respective herds, providing valuable data on how these animals interact with human-dominated landscapes.

“Elephants will be fitted with satellite-enabled GPS collars to study how the mega-herbivores are utilizing the human-dominated landscape,” Zimparks and IFAW said in a joint statement.

Addressing Community Concerns

The move comes as communities near Hwange National Park face growing risks from elephants wandering into villages, particularly at night. Earlier this month, state media reported that villagers had been forced to impose an unofficial curfew to avoid encounters with the animals, which have become increasingly bold in their movements.

Mitigating Conflict

By better understanding elephant migration patterns and behaviour, authorities hope to develop strategies to mitigate conflict, such as creating alternative corridors for wildlife movement or implementing early warning systems to alert communities when herds are nearby.

The programme reflects a broader effort to balance conservation with the safety and livelihoods of communities living near protected areas. With its significant elephant population, Zimbabwe is at the forefront of addressing the challenges posed by human-wildlife coexistence in Africa.

As the programme progresses, conservationists hope it will serve as a model for managing similar conflicts in other regions facing pressures from growing wildlife populations and expanding human settlements.