Zimbabwe’s Elephant Crisis Deepens as Drought Pushes Herds into Villages

Zimbabwe is facing a growing crisis as its elephant population, nearly double the land’s capacity, increasingly clashes with local communities.

Worsening droughts and dwindling resources have pushed the animals to raid villages, destroying crops, infrastructure and at times causing injuries or deaths.

The country’s elephant population stands at approximately 100,000, yet the land can only sustain half that number.

Authorities have refrained from culling for nearly four decades due to conservation pressures and financial constraints.

“We are not culling because of pressure from conservationists and because we do not have the funds for such an operation,” said Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).

Between January and April this year, conflicts involving elephants, lions and hyenas led to 18 human deaths, prompting authorities to eliminate 158 animals deemed problematic.

Communities traditionally relied on banging pots, shouting and burning dung to drive elephants away, but with increasing wildlife incursions, technology is now playing a vital role in mitigating conflicts.

The EarthRanger platform, introduced by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and reported on by Ignite Media Zimbabwe, provides real-time tracking of collared elephants.

Digital maps outline buffer zones, helping officials predict animal movements and respond swiftly to potential threats.

The system also logs incidents, tracking crop damage, livestock attacks and retaliatory actions against wildlife.

Zimbabwe’s collaring project offers a potential solution, with sixteen matriarch elephants wearing GPS collars, allowing rangers to track entire herds through their leaders.

However, Hwange National Park alone holds approximately 45,000 elephants—far beyond its capacity of 15,000—highlighting the scale of the challenge.

During a recent collaring mission, a team of ecologists, veterinarians, trackers and rangers darted a matriarch, fitted a GPS collar, collected blood samplesand monitored the elephant before administering an antidote.

Within seconds, the animal regained its footing and returned to the bush.

Zimbabwe’s elephant crisis remains a pressing issue, sparking heated debates over the best management strategies.

Last year, activists protested a proposal to cull elephants and use their meat to aid drought-stricken communities.

Conservationists continue to weigh ethical and ecological concerns against the need for more effective population control measures.

With conservation efforts evolving, Zimbabwe’s parks agency director Edson Gandiwa believes technology-driven solutions like EarthRanger will help ensure “conservation decisions are informed by robust scientific data.”

However, as elephant populations grow and communities struggle with increasing losses, the question remains:

Is technology enough or should stronger measures, including culling, be reconsidered?.