Elephants, donkeys killed in raging veld fire

Midlands Correspondent
August 26, 2010



A VELD fire killed two elephants, three donkeys, an undisclosed number of small game and burnt down a homestead in the Somabhula farming area of Gweru rural.
The fire, which according to officials from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), was started by a family which wanted to make a fireguard on Monday, has since been contained but not before it had destroyed flora and fauna in the area.
A visit by the news crew to the area established that large tracts of land were destroyed by the veld fire and desperate wild animals that included impalas and kudus could be seen running around in the open in search of either grazing or vegetation cover.
Reports from resettled farmers from Rubi ranch which was the worst affected, said the fire that covered a radius of 60 kilometres, had spread to nearby Woodend conservancy near Shangani where it killed two jumbos, among other wild animals.
“It’s a very terrible situation and those who started this fire should be punished. There is no grazing for both livestock and game in our area just because of a person or persons who were careless,” said Mr Jorum Nkala.
He said the fire killed two elephants in the Woodend conservancy.
Mr Nkala said the fire had affected more than 100 farmers whose livestock no longer had pastures.
“The pastures have been destroyed by this veld fire and we do not know what to do with our livestock from now until the start of the rains,” he said.
Other villagers said the fire had also destroyed their cattle pens and orchard trees.
“We want to know who started this fire because we have to be compensated for our losses. I lost an orchard to this fire,” said an irate Mr Simon Chisi.
Meanwhile, EMA officials yesterday said that they were still assessing the damage caused by the veld fire.
The agency’s Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Protection officer, Mr Phanuel Kudakwashe Mangisi said the agency was still to establish the total hectarage that was destroyed by the inferno.
“We are still assessing the damage caused by this fire but what we can say is that it is the worst fire outbreak recorded in the province so far this year,” he said.
Mr Mangisi said members of the family which started the fire in an attempt to make a fireguard failed to contain the fire due to the heavy winds. Mr Mangisi warned villagers to desist from starting fires when it is windy.
“We have repeatedly warned farmers not to start fires when it is windy. They should ensure the day is calm and before they start the fire, they should alert other villagers so that in the event of the fire getting out of control, other villagers would be there to assist in containing the fire,” he said.
Recently veld fires burnt to ashes the capital of King Lobengula, Old Bulawayo, on the outskirts of Bulawayo, and Matopos Rock Motel along the Bulawayo-Matopos Road.
EMA has repeatedly warned members of the public against starting veld fires but it seems the message is falling on deaf ears.

Herd boy, 11 elephants killed in veld fires

Midlands Correspondent



The veld fire which started in the Somabhula area of Gweru rural and later spread to Debshan Ranch on the border with Matabeleland South, burnt to death a 13-year-old herd boy from the Somabhula area and 11 elephants, the Chronicle learnt yesterday.
The veld fire which, according to the Environmental Management Agency, was started by a family in the Somabhula area, later spread to as far as Debshan Ranch in Matabeleland South where it reportedly killed the elephants.
Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Patrick Chademana yesterday confirmed the death of the 13-year-old boy.
"We have received a report that a 13-year-old boy from the Somabhula area was burnt to death by the veld fire. We are however yet to get full details on the circumstances surrounding the death but the boy is said to have tried to escape the veld fire by climbing up a tree which unfortunately also caught fire," he said.
According to witnesses, the boy had gone to round up the family cattle when suddenly he found himself in the heart of the inferno and tried to escape by climbing the tree which later caught fire and the boy was burnt to death," said the witness.
The charred remains of the boy were found the following day by some passersby.
The Somabhula boy is the first victim of veld fires this year in the Midlands and the two Matabeleland regions. Last year a 71-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy were burnt to death at Spring Farm in the Kensington area on the outskirts of Bulawayo.
In 2005 six school pupils were burnt to death by a veld fire at Debshan Ranch where elephants were killed by this week’s veld fire.
Meanwhile, Debshan Ranch farm manager, Mr Colin Edwards, said 11 elephants had by yesterday been confirmed to have been killed when the veld fire spread to the ranch. He said 12 paddocks on the ranch had vegetation completely destroyed by the veld fire.
Workers at the farm were yesterday busy removing ivory from the dead jumbos.
Mr Edwards said the number of dead elephants could be more, as he was yet to confirm reports of dead elephants in some sections of the farm he and his workers were yet to visit.
"The number of confirmed dead elephants is 11 but we continue to receive reports of dead elephants in some sections of the farm," he said.
Mr Edwards said as of 13 August, the number of elephants on Debshan Ranch was 254 and all of them bull elephants.
He said the elephants moved in herds of between eleven and 27.
"Right now we are still searching for more elephants and only today, we have come across one bull elephant which sustained severe burns and can therefore not eat or drink water. Its trunk was severely damaged by the fire.
"We are waiting for members of the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to come and kill this wounded elephant," he said.
Mr Edwards said 12 paddocks that were affected by the veld fire had pastures completely destroyed.
There has been an upsurge of veld fires this year and recently, a veld fire reduced to ashes Old Bulawayo, the capital of King Lobengula, on the outskirts of Bulawayo.
Another veld fire burnt down Matopos Rock Motel along the Bulawayo-Matopos Road.