Elephants cause curfew in Vic Falls

Victoria Falls Reporter
June 19, 2009


A NEW type of curfew has hit the Victoria Falls town as elephants coming from the Zambezi and Victoria Falls National Parks continue to roam in and around the town every night forcing residents to go indoors from around 7pm.
Residents are now being forced to go indoors for fear of being trampled upon by the problem animals.
The elephants roam the suburbs of Mkhosana and Chinotimba high-density suburbs and the low-density area popularly known as Kumayard.
According to the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (NPWMA) area manager for Victoria Falls and Zambezi Camp, Senior Warden Trumber Jura, the invasion of elephants into settlements is a sign of the overpopulation of the species.
Elephants are protected under CITES as they are considered an endangered specie.
In an interview with the Chronicle recently, NPWMA Director General Dr Morris Mutsambiwa said the elephant population had hit just over 100 000, “a figure which is unsustainable considering that the national carrying capacity is just about 30 000”.
He said his authority was trying to have the number of bulls for trophy increased from the current 500 to about 600 in a bid to try to control their numbers.
However, observers are of the opinion that the figure is too little considering the damage that has been done to crops in the fields making last year's farming season a flop in some areas.
Snr Warden Jura confirmed receiving reports from residents of massive destruction of property by the elephants in the resort town.
He, however, said they could not drive the elephants away when they were still inside settlements. He said they could only drive them away once they are far from humans.
“As soon as they are in the national park that is outside settlements we will try to drive them away. Right now if we try anything they will get irritated and that will make them violent,” he said.
Residents have lost precast walls, perimeter fences, and vegetables in their gardens.
“At least they are not violent. They are just after edible things like vegetables and some types of trees,” he said.
The elephants are wreaking havoc in Matabeleland North Province and the whole country.
In Victoria Falls they are destroying residents' property as they search for food far from the wild (national parks) where there is stiff competition for territories as the population continues to balloon.
Unfortunately, as residents cry foul, tourists are enjoying every moment of what is happening.
“I am very happy to have seen the elephants from a close range and personal without paying a single cent,” said Mr Thomas Johnson a tourist from Britain.
Johnson said he saw the elephants as they passed the lodge he is staying at during his visit to the country.