A teacher from Lupane is currently recovering in the hospital after a lone elephant charged at her and a group of learners while they were on their way to school on Wednesday morning.
The teacher, Ms Patience Sibanda of Gandangula Village, was swiftly taken to St Luke’s Hospital, where she is currently admitted and receiving treatment for her injuries.
Confirming the incident, Mr Khumbula Mpala, the Gandangula Village head, expressed his concern over the prevalence of human-wildlife conflict in Lupane. He explained that elephants often venture out from Forestry conservation areas in search of food and water, leading to encounters with local communities.
Typically, these elephants travel during the night, but it appears that a solitary elephant may have remained behind from the herd on that particular day.
Mr Mpala highlighted that they consistently report such incidents to the Kusile Rural District Council and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. In some instances, rangers are dispatched to drive the animals away. However, the wild animals retreat into the protected forests as soon as they come into contact with the rangers, only to return once the rangers have left.
