Elephants have started destroying crop fields in the Zambezi Region again, leaving residents with little hope.

The jumbos destroyed crop fields at Wuparo, Balyerwa, Dzoti and Bamunu in the Judea Lyabboloma, Linyanti and Sibbinda Constituencies.
 

Lirata Maezi and his family have been waking up to a herd of elephants feasting on their crops since last week.

Maezi says despite putting up fire around the crops field and beating drums to scare them away, nothing seems to be working.

"This whole time, starting last week Thursday, elephants have been coming and going. We have reported this to the Conservancy Game Guards and when they tried to chase away the elephants, they charged at them. We appreciate the work they did but unfortunately, the elephants have returned, and they continue to come back during the night. Out:

The senior citizen, Namatswa Maezi is devastated, saying game rangers need to combine efforts with the community as well as conservancies to deploy teams in different areas to keep elephants at bay.

She says just like many others in the area, they depend on crop farming for livelihood.

"As you are all aware, a 25 kilogram of maize meal currently costs N$300. Now we don't know how my family is going to survive unless government comes through for us. When you receive reports of elephants invading someone's field, please send wardens to help us immediately to scare and chase the animals away".

The community says they have run out of ideas on what to do with the elephants.

A member of the Development Community in the Judea Lyabbolama, Bashupi Maloboka, is concerned that despite living between Nkasa-Rupara National Park in the South and Mudumu in the North, animal movements are not controlled.

Maloboka said he is disappointed by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's response to the incidents of human-wildlife conflict of late.