Elephants kill 60 Zimbabweans this year

Sixty Zimbabweans have been killed by elephants so far this year, as a conservation success story has led to increased conflict with humans, the government spokesman said, Report informs, citing The Guardian.

With 100,000 elephants, Zimbabwe has the world's second-largest population after Botswana and about one-quarter of the elephants in all of Africa.

"In some areas, elephants are moving in numerous herds and have devoured everything in the fields and are now moving into homesteads, forcing community members to retaliate, in the process injuring some of the elephants," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said on Twitter.

"The issue of human and wildlife conflict has become quite emotive. This year alone, 60 Zimbabweans have lost their lives to elephants and 50 injured," he said.

Mangwana said elephants killed 72 people in 2021.