Zimbabwean authorities said today that elephants and buffalo in Zimbabwe’s largest national park have been migrating for several weeks to neighboring Botswana due to water shortages, warning of the dangers of migration.
“Many animals are leaving Hwange National Park for neighboring Botswana,” Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMParks) spokeswoman Tinashe Faraw told Agence France-Presse, warning that the exodus could increase clashes with humans.
Farao said: “I cannot determine the exact number of elephants that have migrated. It could be hundreds or thousands, but in any case, there are many,” recalling that this forced migration began in August.
The spokesman said that the migration of wildlife from Hwange to Botswana is not an unusual phenomenon, but this year it came early, explaining that natural water wells are drying up earlier than usual due to lack of rain.
He pointed out that “animals are searching for water and food, and they are not just elephants and buffalo. They are all types of animals in the park,” stressing that “the numbers of migratory animals have clearly increased in recent years due to increasing water scarcity.”
He argues that this massive movement of wild animals is likely to spark new encounters with humans: “More animals will invade communities, as people compete with them for water.”
Since last year, several clashes have occurred between elephants, buffalo and residents of villages adjacent to Hwange Park. According to the government, at least 60 people were killed last year by elephants, and the number is rising.
Zimbabwe has about 100,000 elephants, nearly twice the capacity of its parks, according to park conservation officials. Botswana, with 130,000 specimens, is home to the largest elephant population in the world.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has classified southern Africa, a region that includes Mozambique and Angola, as at risk of extreme heat and reduced rainfall as a result of global warming.
Hwange Park, in western Zimbabwe, has an area of 14,600 square kilometers, about half the size of the Alentejo, and is home to about 50,000 elephants, in addition to many other animals.
