Drought, Poachers threaten Hwange Elephants.

Communities in Hwange district co-exist with the Elephants but owing to the
increasing number on elephants, human-wildlife conflicts are increasing as the
giant animals are now falling prey to poaching.

The elephants freely roam in rural communities showing an increased
population. According to a KAZA Report 2023, Southern African Countries is
home to 293 00, 70 percent of Africa’s population, Zimbabwe included gathers
the world’s largest elephant population.

“Some of the elephants are killing our brothers and sisters. Although humans
co-exist with elephants, we are left with no choice but to scare the elephants off
our communities. There are incidences when I wish poachers would descend on
the elephants and kill them, because they can be a menace,” said Madolisi
Hulbert a villager based in Gwayi.

Recently, six elephants were found dead in the Gwayi-Shangani Wildlife
Conservancy area in a suspected case of cyanide poisoning.

The decomposing carcasses were discovered at a water hole adjacent to Hwange
National Park Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the incident, indicating that
investigations are underway.

Wildlife conservationists in the area told this publication that the animals were
killed by cyanide laced in one of the water sources in the area.

“We strongly suspect that the elephants, which were all bulls, were poisoned
using cyanide. Their decomposing carcasses were found about 100 to 300
meters apart along a pathway which the animals usually use when going to
drink water. The other thing which also suggests that the elephants might have
succumbed to poison is that there were no animal scavengers or even maggots
at the site,” the conservationist said.

Besides poaching, elephants in Hwange are at risk of dying due to a number of
reasons, which include drought.

At least 100 elephants have already been reported dead due to lack of water. In
2019, over 200 elephants died in Zimbabwe due to severe drought and this
phenomenon may recur.

Despite having 104 solar-powered boreholes, park authorities say this may not
suffice this season due to the extreme hot temperatures that have led to existing
waterholes drying. This has forced wildlife to walk long distances searching for
food and water. Water-dependent mammals like elephants are among the most
affected.