Africa-Press – Mozambique. At least 12 people died and 30 injured due to the human-wildlife conflict in the first half of this year in Manica province in central Mozambique, an official source said.
The deaths and injuries resulted mainly from attacks by crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and lions.
The animals also destroyed around 144 hectares of crops, according to Ernesto Lopes, spokesman for the 14th session of the Manica provincial executive council, cited by Radio Mozambique.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the session that, amongst other issues, discussed the human-animal conflict and the epidemiological situation in the province.
According to the spokesman, as a result of the conflict and to reassure communities, five aggressive elephants were slaughtered in two districts of Manica.
“It is prohibited to slaughter animals in these situations, but it happened in an extreme situation,” Lopes said, noting that training is underway in the community on techniques for driving the animals away to prevent them from being slaughtered.
The human-wildlife conflict arises due to disputes over space and natural resources, aggravated by the need for occupation for the practice of agricultural activities, a situation which is often observed in communities living close to conservation areas.
A total of 97 Mozambicans died, and 66 were injured in 2020 due to attacks by wild animals, mostly by crocodiles, according to a report by the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) to which Lusa had access.
In the same year, 258 domestic animals, including cattle, sheep and goats, were devoured by lions, hyenas and crocodiles, in addition to 248.81 hectares of various crops destroyed.
Every year, the Mozambican authorities report cases of deaths, injuries and destruction of crops by animals, and mechanisms have already been developed for the population to drive them away, at least until the intervention of inspectors.
