Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Evelyn Ndlovu, said that she was forced to vacate her house in Gwanda town because of marauding troops of baboons.
As reported by the Southern Eye, Ndlovu said baboons are giving residents of Gwanda sleepless nights as they are getting into people’s houses in search of food and water.
She implored the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to address the challenge. Said Ndlovu:
Wild animals are destroying people’s crops, killing people and cattle which is not a good thing…
This needs to be addressed because we have had baboons coming into the homesteads in Gwanda.
l myself left my house in Gwanda because l cannot stay there due to the fact that there is no peace.
Winter crops have been destroyed and l think electric fences should be put up to keep the wild animals away.
In November 2023, a full-grown male baboon mauled an 18-month-old baby as it tried to drag him away into a bush in West Nicholson in Gwanda District.
The mother of the child, Petronella Moyo (22), ran after the baboon that had snatched her child from a room, forcing it to dump him and flee.
The animal sank its teeth into the baby twice and left him badly wounded after dragging him on the ground for about 50 metres.
The boy was taken to Gwanda Provincial Hospital where he received treatment and was vaccinated against rabies.
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