Elephants Wreck Havoc To Police Crops
http://www.radiovop.com/

18/05/2011 13:27:00

Bulawayo, May 18, 2011 - Elephants have invaded and destroyed about five
hectares of planted maize crop that was awaiting harvest at a police owned
farm in Inyathi, Matabeleland North province of Zimbabwe.

The stray elephants, according to police officials, invaded the police owned
Eland Farm in Matabeleland North on Sunday evening, and destroyed all
planted crops.

Acting Matabeleland North police spokesperson, Sergeant Eglon Nkala said
seven stray elephants destroyed the boundary fence to gain entrance into the
farm and ruined planted crops.

“The crops were under irrigation and were all ruined by the stray elephants.
The elephants destroyed an extensive hectarage of crops, most of which was
maize,” Sergeant Nkala said.

Sergeant Nkala - who appealed to the Wildlife Parks and Management Authority
to drive off the elephants - said stray elephants were a ‘nuisance’ in
Inyathi as they continue to destroy villagers planted crops.

Parks and Wildlife management Authority spokesperson, Caroline Washaya-Moyo
could not be reached for comment on the statistics of stray elephants and
the current elephant population inn the country.

Zimbabwe’s elephant population continues to balloon but independent
conservationist groups accuse government officials of inflating the figures
so as to benefit from ivory trade.

Johnny Rodrigues of the Zimbabwean Conservation Taskforce has said the
elephant population had fallen to 60,000 at the most, yet the government
puts the figure at more than 100,000.

Rodrigues has said corrupt officials wanted to dupe the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) into allowing Zimbabwe to
continue trading in ivory, alleging that corrupt government officials are
believed to have stockpiled ivory from animals shot in national parks and
private game parks seized from their white owners.