Elephants wreak havoc in Beitbridge

Beitbridge Reporter
April 7, 2009


STRAY elephants from neighbouring Botswana have descended on Shashe village in Beitbridge District where they are reportedly destroying crops.
Villagers told Chronicle on Friday that the jumbos had destroyed crops in several fields in the village.
“Our crops have been destroyed by the elephants, which continue to stray from Botswana and we are now anticipating a poor harvest as a result of these animals. We are now appealing to the relevant authorities to address this problem as a matter of urgency,” said Mr Lucas Tlou, a villager.
Another villager from the area, Ms Ratanang Sebata said: “The elephants got into my field and destroyed all the maize crop and right now there is virtually nothing left in the field.
“We are appealing to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to assist us by culling the elephants.”
Efforts to contact the ward councillor, Mr Luka Ndou, were fruitless, as his mobile phone was not reachable.
The latest incident comes barely two weeks after similar cases were reported in Tshitulipasi and Tshikwalakwala villages in which lions were reportedly terrorising villagers and killing their livestock.
The lions strayed from Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The two villages are situated on the confluence of Limpopo and Bubi rivers.