http://www.postzambia.com/post....php?articleId=26272


Elephants stray out of Kafue National Park
By Fredrick Mwansa in Itezhi-tezhi
Tue 27 Mar. 2012, 12:57 CAT


HERDS of rampaging elephants strayed out of the Kafue National Park on Friday scaring villagers and partly destroying crops.

Chief Musungwa of the Ila people of Itezhi-tezhi district, where part of the Kafue National park is located, lamented that people's fields have been ravaged.

"Some maize in one field belonging to an ex-soldier Mr Kapami has been eaten by elephants in the chiefdom and the elephants are invading the fields every day," he said.

"We are calling on relevant authorities to address this problem as a matter of urgency before villagers lose all their crops," chief Musungwa said. He said that the villages affected by the destructive elephants are Basanga, Iyanda, New Ngoma and Makuzu.

"We have called ZAWA in Ngoma but they say they have no ammunition to scare the elephants," he said.

He said that all efforts, including crude methods adopted by local people, to drive away the elephants have been in vain.

He observed that despite the availability of sufficient water within the park forests owing to heavy rain this year, the elephants often raid agriculture farms and destroy crops.

He said that farmers could no longer stay in farms at night as the elephants might attack them, adding that some farmers have resorted to harvest their crop prematurely.

Chief Musungwa appealed to the government to empower ZAWA to drive the animals back into the park.

He also called on the government to rebuild the wire fence to fence off the park.

But Itezhi-tezhi district commissioner Roy Nang'alelwa said wildlife police officers had been deployed in all affected areas to prevent elephants from straying into people's fields.

He said ZAWA officers were working round the clock to secure the fields.

He described the crop damage as minimal and that it could have been worse had officers not been deployed on time.

He said ZAWA had received enough ammunition and distribution of the same had begun.

"ZAWA in Ngoma headquarters have received enough ammunition for use to scare aware the elephants and we agree as government to re-construct wire fence as a long-term solution to this problem," he said.

He also cautioned people against cultivating crops close to the park without leaving a buffer zone.

Experts say elephants are attracted to crops due to their softness and high nutritional value.