By Rex Mphisa
VICE President Constantino Chiwenga has proposed the culling of the Zimbabwean elephants population which have munched away all hopes of bumper harvests for some Matabeleland South farmers.
According to Lotsha FM, a Beitbridge community radio station, Chiwenga made the suggestion at the sidelines of his mission to Beitbridge Friday where he lit the Independence Flame at the famous and historic Juliet (Zezani)Assembly Point 120 kilometres west of the border town.
Farmers in Matabeleland South, particularly Gwanda and Beitbridge have been reporting massive crop invasion and destruction by mostly elephants and other wildlife.
According to a video posted on social media by Lotsha FM reporter Patience Moyo, Chiwenga made the remarks at the instance of Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Albert Nguluvhe.
In the video Nguluvhe says Chiwenga asked him how good the harvests were to which he responded hood but under attack from jumbos.
“He asked me how good the harvests were and I told him they had been good but people are saying elephants have ruined it all. He then called Minister Kazembe Kazembe (Home Affairs) and asked him to go and sit with his other stakeholders and have the elephants culled,” said Nguluvhe.
“I will follow up in Harare to see that this is done and perhaps the population of the elephants can be reduced by half from 90 000 which has outgrown the space,” said Nguluvhe.
At 90 000, it means there is almost an elephant for every two people in Beitbridge whose population stood at 152 574 at the last 2022 population census.
Widespread reports of the havoc caused by elephants in Gwanda South and Beitbridge have particularly been regular his year when the region had far above average rains and these are causing severe food shortages and threatening livelihoods.
Elephants are massive herbivores that spend up to 80% of their day foraging, consuming 150–300 kg of vegetation daily.
They use their highly muscular trunk—possessing ~40,000 muscles—to grasp, tear, or scoop food, often smashing it into a manageable pile before transferring it to their mouth. Their diet includes grass, leaves, bark, roots, and fruit.
Villagers often rely on traditional methods to deter the elephants, such as beating drums, but these measures often fail against large herds.
Lotsha FM says relief could be on the way but in reality, a lot has to be done to have elephants culled.
While any country may not need direct “international approval” to cull wildlife within its own borders, as sovereign nations have the legal authority to manage their own natural resources, if the species is protected internationally or if the cull involves international trade of wildlife products, a country must adhere to international agreements and treaties.
Zimbabwean elephants, which move in between Botswana and South Africa through existing transfrontier parks are endangered species just like the African Forest and Asian elephants.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (GITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora, sets guidelines of how these animals should be culled or transferred if in excess.
Although Zimbabwe’s elephant population is put at about 83,000 to over 100,000, being second kargest in the world after Botswana, it is generally believed these figures have been outgrown and the understating is exposed by the increase in human wildlife conflicts.