Residents of Kariba town are up in arms with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS) over a baboon menace that has continued unabated.
The residents have threatened to approach the Parliament to register their complaints.
In an interview with Newsday, human rights activist John Chirinda of Patsaka Trust said:
We want to be informed of what [Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority] Zimparks has done to reduce baboons population including efforts by Municipality of Kariba.
Who is accountable to damage of properties, homes, windows and doors, where women and children are being terrorised? There is a need to evaluate wildlife damage to the tourism sector.
Kariba council spokesperson Gabriel Maziofa had this to say:
Zimparks should use 0,22 firearms in the township which has a small range, but these are hardly available.
Furthermore, there are legal challenges against the use of firearms in human settlements resulting in baboons overrunning the settlements.
This has resulted in stiff competition for food that has seen them break into homes, stealing from people around the townships.