Villagers want elephants out

2006-04-27 14:05

Lusaka - Villagers in southern Zambia have threatened to dig trenches to capture herds of marauding elephants, accused of destroying crops and food stores, if authorities do not tackle the problem, reported the country's newspapers on Thursday.

Villagers say the animals have also attacked people, and have accused the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZWA) of inaction.

Zambian authorities however, maintain that the elephants must be protected as part of the country's conservation aims, and because of the elephant's tourism value.

Zambian chiefs, parliamentarians and community officials have appealed for intervention from Zambia's ministry of tourism and the environment, and have also asked for food aid to be sent to the affected areas.

Local MP Douglas Siyakalima said: "We had a good yield, but the elephants have eaten all the maize, millet and sorghum and had destroyed food barns."

In recent weeks, herds of migratory elephants from neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique, as well as local animals who have left their designated game reserves, have destroyed villagers' fields, food stores, and property in southern and eastern Zambia.

Mother and infants killed

Zambian newspaper reports said the problem had plunged hundreds of villagers, struggling to come out of a critical drought, back into food distress and poverty.

ZWA officials have warned villagers to abandon crops in areas with numerous elephants and hippos.

ZWA spokesperson Maureen Mwape said: "We don't enjoy seeing people going hungry, but we have a job to protect the elephants, hippos and all wild animals. The goal is conservation."

The ZWA and the Zambian government have angered farming communities by refusing to provide compensation for crops or property destroyed, saying there is no provision for doing so under law.

Mwape said: "The elephants must be protected for their economic value and their importance for tourism in the southern African state."

In the past few months, villagers said the elephants had attacked and killed villagers.

In the latest report, a mother and her two infant children were killed, leading to violent clashes between villagers and ZWA staff.

- SAPA