HARARE – Zimbabwe recorded 62 deaths, 81 injuries and the loss of 801 livestock in 2025 as human–wildlife conflict escalated sharply, a situation the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) says is being fuelled by climate change and intensifying pressure on water and grazing resources.
ZimParks acting spokesperson Tamirirashe Mudzingwa said conflict incidents jumped by 26 percent, from 1,654 cases in 2024 to 2,090 in 2025.
He warned that shifting weather patterns are disrupting ecosystems and pushing wildlife closer to human settlements.
“Climate change and increasing competition for scarce water and grazing resources are bringing people and wildlife into closer and more frequent contact,” Mudzingwa said, adding that the trend mirrors a wider regional and global pattern.
He said ZimParks response teams attended to over 99 percent of reported cases during the period under review, while 556 problem animals were neutralised in 2025 as part of efforts to reduce danger to communities.
While the number of injuries fell slightly from 90 in 2024 to 81 in 2025, fatalities rose from 49 to 62, highlighting what ZimParks described as the growing severity of encounters. Losses of cattle, goats and other livestock more than doubled from 362 to 801, deepening economic hardship for families in affected areas.
Mudzingwa said Kariba, Mbire, Chiredzi, Binga, Hwange, Hurungwe and Nyaminyami remained the worst-affected districts, with hyenas, crocodiles and elephants accounting for most reported incidents.
“Climate change has fundamentally altered the dynamics of our ecosystems,” ZimParks Director-General Prof Edson Gandiwa said. “Our responsibility is to adapt our management approaches while working closely with government agencies, conservation partners and communities to reduce risk and build resilience.”
Mudzingwa said community-based conservation was emerging as a key part of the solution, noting that community conservancies were proving effective and sustainable in high-pressure areas by strengthening local participation in wildlife monitoring and response while creating tangible economic value from conservation.
He said ongoing interventions include awareness campaigns, livelihood support projects and the deployment of community guardians who alert authorities when animals stray into villages. ZimParks and its partners are also helping communities to build predator-proof kraals and bomas, and to use chilli bombs to protect crops.
Looking ahead, Mudzingwa said legislative reforms were expected to provide relief to affected families, noting that the Parks and Wildlife Amendment Act No. 4 of 2025 provides for a human–wildlife conflict relief fund as part of the government’s broader efforts to support affected communities, with implementation mechanisms still being developed.
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