{"id":92645,"date":"2024-03-31T11:23:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T09:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes"},"modified":"2024-03-31T14:55:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T12:55:56","slug":"zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe: Climate change driving rural-urban migration of snakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>IT has been an unprecedented snake season in Zimbabwe, as unusually high temperatures have driven the slithering cold-blooded reptiles into human-populated areas.<\/p>\n

The result has been record snake bites, with 141 reported in one week in January as climate change drives and upends health narratives in a country where hospitals and clinics lack life-saving antivenoms.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s health system has been deteriorating for years, with hospitals lacking life-saving drugs, and there are concerns that the number of snake bites and fatalities could be underreported as some cases occur in remote rural areas where there are no clinics.<\/p>\n

Catastrophic change<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe has experienced unusually high temperatures recently and an extended dry season as it grapples with a climate-induced drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cHumans are not the only species impacted by the climate crisis. The world\u2019s wildlife and habitats are also facing profound, sometimes catastrophic, change,\u201d said Washington Zhakata, Climate Change Management director in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate. \u201cEcosystems are gradually becoming uninhabitable for certain animals, forcing wildlife to migrate outside their usual patterns in search of food and livable conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Health Organisation has raised concerns that little is understood about climate change, venomous snakes, and their impact on human populations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHumans will change farming practices\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change will only exacerbate the issue by affecting where, when, and how snakes share space with people. This happens because snakes will shift their distributions as temperatures rise and extreme events become more common,\u201d the WHO says in a January update.<\/p>\n

\u201cHumans will change farming practices, and there will be greater pressures to migrate or be displaced. As a result, human\u2013snake contact and conflict are expected to become more pronounced or frequent in some regions.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Zimbabwe, most reported snake bites occur in rural farming communities. According to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the country is home to eighty types of snakes, six of which are considered deadly.<\/p>\n

Experts say the loss of habitat, exacerbated by extended high temperatures and dry seasons, has forced small animals hunted by snakes to move further. This, in turn, has forced dangerous snakes to look for food in areas occupied by humans.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe\u2019s snake season usually lasts between September and March, months that typically cover the rainy season. However, the long dry seasons have upset that cycle, resulting in snakes changing what is thought to be their natural movement and hunting behavior.<\/p>\n

Human-wildlife conflict<\/p>\n

\u201cThere suddenly appear to be snakes all over the place,\u201d said Titus Ndlovu, a resident of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe\u2019s second-largest city. \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is, but these snakes are basking everywhere. We fear for our children.\u201d<\/p>\n

This means city residents have not been spared and are also experiencing human-wildlife conflict, which is traditionally seen as a problem only in rural areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cTemperature may affect snakebites through human behavior or snake behavior; snakes are ectotherms, meaning outdoor temperatures influence their internal body temperature and thus their behavior,\u201d say researchers in a paper published in 2023.<\/p>\n

Livestock compete with wildlife<\/p>\n

While some researchers have not seen an obvious or direct link between climate change and snake bites, they acknowledge the impact of shrinking natural habitats on human-wildlife conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not sure about any link between snake bites and climate change, but yes, climate change is exacerbating human-wildlife conflict,\u201d said Nikhil Advani, the World Wildlife Fund\u2018s senior director for wildlife and climate resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, during drought, people and their livestock compete with wildlife for diminishing pasture and water sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. IT has been an unprecedented snake season in Zimbabwe, as unusually high temperatures have driven the slithering cold-blooded reptiles into human-populated areas. The result has been record snake bites, with 141 reported in one week in January as climate change drives and upends health narratives in a country where hospitals and clinics […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":92644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[1493,2189,19],"class_list":["post-92645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zimbabwe-2","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nZimbabwe: Climate change driving rural-urban migration of snakes - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"IT has been an unprecedented snake season in Zimbabwe, as unusually high temperatures have driven the slithering cold-bl ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zimbabwe: Climate change driving rural-urban migration of snakes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IT has been an unprecedented snake season in Zimbabwe, as unusually high temperatures have driven the slithering cold-bl ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-31T09:23:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-31T12:55:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/03\/sm_1711873330.031238.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Zimbabwe: Climate change driving rural-urban migration of snakes\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-31T09:23:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-31T12:55:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\"},\"wordCount\":608,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/03\/sm_1711873330.031238.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Zimbabwe\",\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/zimbabwe-climate-change-driving-rural-urban-migration-of-snakes\",\"name\":\"Zimbabwe: Climate change driving rural-urban migration of snakes - 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