The <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_National_Parks_and_Wildlife_Authority/">Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS)</a> has said a significant number of elephants from Hwange National Park, the largest national park in Zimbabwe, are migrating to Botswana in search of water.
The park, spanning over 14,600 square kilometres, is a habitat for approximately 50,000 elephants. This movement of animals from Hwange National Park to Botswana began in August. ZIMPARKS spokesperson, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tinashe_Farawo/">Tinashe Farawo</a>, told AFP:
<blockquote>
Many animals have and are moving from Hwange National Park into Botswana.
Water bodies have dried up and the animals are in search for water and food.
</blockquote>
He added that buffaloes and “all types of animals present in the park” were also migrating in scores. Farawo said:
<blockquote>
I can’t quantify how many elephants have moved whether its hundreds or thousands but it has been a lot.
The amount of animals migrating has definitely increased over the years due to the increase in water shortages.
</blockquote>
Climate change has caused an early migration of wildlife from Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park to Botswana, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. This movement, which could result in heightened conflicts between humans and animals, poses challenges as animals encroach upon populated areas in search of water.
Tinashe Farawo expressed concerns about increased competition for water resources. Human-wildlife conflicts are already prevalent in remote parts of Zimbabwe, with elephants alone causing the deaths of at least 60 people last year. Zimbabwe has an elephant population of around 100,000, while Botswana boasts the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at 130,000.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Pindula News

Elephants From Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park Migrating To Botswana Due To Water Scarcity

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS) has suspended two senior officials, Edmund Chirongedzo, the Procurement Officer, and Delia Mapuranga, the Procurement Clerk, effective July 21, 2023, pending investigations into allegations of procurement irregularities.
The suspension follows accusations of tampering with quotations to give favoured suppliers an advantage. ZIMPARKS spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo said:
<blockquote>
The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority would like to confirm the suspension of Edmund Chirongedzo the Procurement Officer and Delia Mapuranga the Procurement Clerk, effective 21 July, 2023, pending investigations on allegations of procurement irregularities involving tampering with quotations in order to give advantage to certain suppliers among other malpractices. The suspension is in line with the Government’s drive to fight corruption within public entities.
</blockquote>
ZIMPARKS had earlier been accused by a group of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of threatening to cancel tenders awarded to them. The SMEs supply ZIMPARKS with supplies through tenders and Request for Quote (RFQ), and have accused senior officials at ZIMPARKS of attempting to create a corrupt procurement system. The SMEs had written to the office of the President and Cabinet expressing their concerns over the matter. Reads the letter:
<blockquote>
We also seek to bring to the President’s attention that the move by the parastatal is digressing from national policies on Youth and Women Empowerment.
The move was communicated by on Brian Mupandawana who visited all SMEs providing procurement services to the environment entity. We believe that a wave of corruption is now game of the day at the parastatal and this is now affecting the survival of our local businesses.
We are kindly requesting our President through the responsible ministry to intervene on our behalf. We are living up to the Vision of the President in making Zimbabwe great using our own local SMEs, hence “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”. Anyone who clamps down on Women and Youths is an enemy of the Second Republic and Vision 2030.
</blockquote>
Tinashe Farawo has denied the accusations made by the SMEs that senior officials at ZIMPARKS were attempting to create a corrupt procurement system.
Corruption and tender scandals have been a recurring issue in government parastatals in Zimbabwe. The Auditor General often reports corrupt activities in the awarding of tenders and procurement processes, with some senior officials being implicated in the scandals. These scandals have resulted in financial losses for the government and have undermined the public’s trust in the institutions. 
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

ZIMPARKS Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Procurement Irregularities Allegations

<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_Parks_%26_Wildlife_Management_Authority">Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks)</a> spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, has said there were 15 deaths and 43 injuries due to human-wildlife conflict in the first three months of 2023. Last year during the same period, there were 22 deaths and 18 injuries.
Zimbabwe has too many elephants, with around 84 000 exceeding the country’s carrying capacity of 45 000. The ban on the trade in wildlife products and species in Southern Africa has contributed to the ballooning elephant population. 
This has caused an increase in human-wildlife conflict. The elephants are coming into human settlements in search of food and water, causing problems. Farawo said more distress calls were also received this year compared to last year. <a href="https://zbcnews.co.zw/2023/04/06/human-wildlife-conflict-claims-15-in-first-quarter/">ZBC News</a> cites him as saying:
<blockquote>
We have noticed a slight decline in terms of people who have been killed by wild animals from last year. Last year we lost about 22 lives in the first quarter and this year we are at 15. The numbers still remain high if you consider instances that we are still recording. Last year we managed to translocate about 95 animals and this year we have already trans-located 150 animals. This is a way of dealing with human-wildlife conflict within our community. There are also cattle, donkeys and goats that were also killed by wild animals. We will continue to engage communities, teaching them about animal behaviour, and what needs to be done with certain species. We are always on the ground and we are also working with a lot of Rural District Councils to which we have given appropriate authority, so it’s not only the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority which needs to react to this problem.
</blockquote>
Traditional leaders from Chief Shana’s area are worried about the threat of human-wildlife conflict to food security in Hwange District. Village Head, Amos Tolani, from Jabula Village-Chief Mvuthu, said that baboons are destroying their crops, despite good results from the Pfumvudza/Intwasa program in the 2022/23 season. They are calling on Zimparks to relocate problem animals deep into national parks, compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict, pay medical bills, and increase the number of scouts or game rangers in each ward to react quickly if wild animals are seen in communities.
The pending Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Elephant Aerial Survey results could provide proof that Southern African countries’ appeal to lift the ban on ivory and wildlife species trade is genuine.
A total of 66 people were killed by wild animals last year, down from 68 the year before. However, authorities report that nearly 400 people have died due to human-wildlife conflict in the past five years.
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Zimbabwe Records 15 Deaths Due To Human-wildlife Conflict During 1st Quarter Of 2023

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has killed a lion after it attacked a 60-year-old Mbire man on Friday, according to <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/zimparks-put-down-lion-after-it-mauls-man-to-death/">ZBC News</a>.
James Zingundu of Angwa, Mbire district died on Friday morning following an attack as he was walking from one village to another.
Mbire resident James Vhadhiyo told the ZBC News that Zingundu was searching for construction material at around 6 am on Friday when the incident occurred. 
ZIMPARKS and Mbire Rural District Council reacted and killed the lion with ZIMPARKS spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo confirming the incident. He is quoted as saying:
<blockquote>
I can confirm an unfortunate incident in which a Mbire villager was mauled by a lion. It’s unfortunate more lives continue to be lost. The Zimparks reaction team was on the ground and it managed to eliminate the problem animal. We are encouraging our communities to remain calm; we are on the ground. We continue to do our campaigns to say let’s minimise movement at night.
</blockquote>
This year alone, 35 people lost their lives due to wildlife with the growing elephant population being one of the major causes of human-wildlife conflict.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Lion Killed After Attacking A Mbire Man

The permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana has reported that a stray lion was shot dead in Mwenezi on Sunday night.
The killed lion was part of a pride of three lions believed to have escaped from Save Valley Conservancy and were being tracked by rangers after being spotted by villagers near Tokwane Ngundu in Nyajena recently.
The lions were wreaking havoc in southern Chivi and Masvingo districts where they have been killing livestock.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers killed the male lion on 21 July and two were remaining before the second one was shot dead last night. Mangwana said the remaining one disappeared into the mountains. He said:
<blockquote>
One of the remaining 2 stray lions that have been on the run in Mwenezi District was shot last night at Manyuchi, close to Mazetese. The stray lions were 3 and 1 was a male lion was shot on 12 and the other disappeared into the mountains. 1 remains outstanding.
</blockquote>
Villagers in Nyajena and surrounding areas have been losing their livestock, especially cattle to the stray lions sparking fears they could end up harming humans.
Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo urged communities to take extra measures and improve the security of their livestock and also avoid staying outdoors at night.
The pride was first spotted roaming freely near the Renco Mine turn-off along the Ngundu-Chiredzi highway.
They are believed to have escaped from Save Valley where the perimeter fence around the wildlife-rich sanctuary was vandalised by suspected poachers.
<h2><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Stray Lion Shot Dead, The Other One Disappears In Mwenezi Mountains

An eight-year-old boy was killed by an elephant in Muzarabani while his 12-year-old brother, Solomon who sustained multiple body injuries survived the attack and is now receiving medical attention.
Narrating the ordeal from his hospital bed at St Alberts Mission Hospital, Muzarabani, Solomon said they had gone into the woods as usual. He narrated:
<blockquote>We had gone out to look for our cattle with my young brother when we heard the bell of our cows we stopped; little did we know that an elephant was roaming in the same area.
The moment we saw it, my young brother screamed in fear and the elephant started running towards us. The elephant caught up with my brother trampled on him.
While I tried to rescue him, the elephant pierced my stomach and threw me into a nearby tree where I lost consciousness for a moment.
Then I woke up later and rushed to a nearby villager who assisted me to come to the hospital.</blockquote>
Speaking after visiting the hospitalised boy, Muzarabani North legislator, Honourable Zhemu Soda urged relevant authorities to reduce the growing numbers of dangerous animals which were killing people and also disturbing farming activities.
More: <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/boy-8-killed-by-an-elephant-in-muzarabani/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZBC News</a>

Eight-Year-Old Boy Killed By Elephant In Muzarabani

The Zimbabwe Republic Police has said that it is investigating a shootout incident which occurred at Tarkka Forest, Manicaland where two people died.
Below is the police’s statement in full.
<blockquote>03 JULY, 2020, SHOOTING INCIDENT AT TARKKA FOREST, MANICALAND.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is investigating an unfortunate shooting incident which occurred today at TARKKA forest, Chimanimani where two people died and one was injured when timber poachers clashed with Police officers.
The poachers had left a tractor and trailer when Zimbabwe Republic Police deployed members on 1st July 2020 and grouped on 3rd July 2020 before attacking police officers with a Police Sergeant being trampled upon by thirty suspects before other police officers reacted. They fired warning shots which were ignored until the three suspects were shot and taken to Rusitu Mission Hospital. Two suspects died on admission while the other one is currently admitted at the same institution.
Police are conducting comprehensive inquiries into this regrettable incident and urge members of the public to observe the law at all times.</blockquote>

FULL TEXT: Police Investigating Shootout Incident Where 2 People Died

A Hurungwe farmer was on Monday trampled to death by a herd of elephants while tending to his field.
The incident was confirmed by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) 
to deploy rangers to track the animals. spokesperson Tinashe Farawo who said it was necessary to repeal the Wildlife Act of 1975 to make sure victims of human and wildlife conflict are compensated. He said:
<blockquote>This is yet another sad day as we have lost a life due to human and wildlife conflict. As Zim-Parks, we are appealing to communal farmers to lobby policymakers, including councillors and Members of Parliament so that the Act is repealed to help deceased persons’ families. It’s a policy framework we are working on and need 
stakeholders’ input as we look forward.</blockquote>
He also said that the population of wild animals, particularly elephants has rapidly gone up making the country unable to control them.
Farawo added that, unfortunately, due to international treaties safeguarding animal rights, Zimbabwe cannot sell the animals to reduce the population.
The number of people who are dying due to human and wildlife conflict has been rising in the most recent years particularly in areas near parks.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/">NewsDay</a>

Farmer Trampled To Death By Herd Of Elephants

The whereabouts of over two Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) rangers are unknown after their encounter with suspected poachers.
Reports suggest that the matter came to light after the rangers’ patrol boat was found floating on the shores of Lake Kariba on the Zambian side with its engine removed.
The development was confirmed by Zimparks spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo who told the Herald that the number of the suspected poachers is still unknown. Farawo said:
<blockquote>I can confirm that our rangers that were on patrol in Lake Kariba are missing after being in contact with suspected poachers.
The matter is still under investigations and we are working closely with our counterparts in Zambia.</blockquote>
The Herald reports that the rangers had arrested the suspected poachers and were taking them to Changa camp in Kariba town when the poachers fought them in the middle of the Lake and overpowered them.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/parks-rangers-missing/">The Herald</a>

At Least Two ZimParks Rangers Missing After Fight With Suspected Poachers

Posting on Twitter, Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks @Zimparks) has informed members of the public to be very cautious after a crocodile killed one and seriously injured three fishmongers in Hwange. The wildlife authority further encouraged communities to stay away from water bodies.
The post on twitter said:
<blockquote>We <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="Zimparks" href="https://twitter.com/Zimparks/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@Zimparks</a> are sorry sometimes to be bearers of sad news, a Hwange man was killed by a croc while fishing &amp; 3 others were seriously injured. We encourage communities to stay away from water bodies. <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="InfoMinZW" href="https://twitter.com/InfoMinZW/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@InfoMinZW</a> <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="PaintedDogPDC" href="https://twitter.com/PaintedDogPDC/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@PaintedDogPDC</a> <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="FarawoTinashe" href="https://twitter.com/FarawoTinashe/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@FarawoTinashe</a> <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="ZtaUpdates" href="https://twitter.com/ZtaUpdates/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@ZtaUpdates</a> <a class="link-complex" data-user-name="chiefkoti" href="https://twitter.com/chiefkoti/" rel="noopener user noreferrer" target="_blank">@chiefkoti</a></blockquote>
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