Tech tracking to tackle human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe

IN THE sun-scorched lands bordering Zimbabwe's largest wildlife sanctuary, Takesure Moyo pedals through his village each morning on a mission to help his community coexist with the elephants and predators that roam nearby.

- AFP

The 49-year-old is among several locals trained as community monitors under an initiative by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks).

Equipped with a mobile phone, he uses an app to log sightings, spoor and incidents - data that enables authorities to respond swiftly and issue alerts to prevent potential confrontation with dangerous animals, including ones straying from the nearby Hwange National Park.

"We have always lived with wild animals around us, but our responses to human-wildlife conflict were rather individual and uncoordinated," Moyo, speaking in vernacular Ndebele, told AFP.

"The initiative has helped the community become more knowledgeable about animal behaviour and ultimately minimise conflict."