Capon Sibanda races on his bicycle to warn villages when elephant herds approach near Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. He checks GPS alerts first, posting warnings in WhatsApp groups before reaching residents without phones. The tracking system began last year through Zimbabwe Parks and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Elephants wearing GPS collars send location signals to rangers. This helps prevent dangerous meetings between people and animals as drought increases competition for food.
Zimbabwe counts about 100,000 elephants, far exceeding what the land can support. Hungry elephants often raid village crops, destroy water systems, and sometimes hurt people. Park officials report wildlife conflicts killed 18 Zimbabweans between January and April this year. Rangers had to eliminate 158 problem animals during that time. The EarthRanger platform shows collared elephants moving near community lands.
Sixteen elephants, mostly female herd leaders, wear these tracking devices. Rangers follow entire groups by monitoring the leaders. Villagers still bang pots to scare away elephants, but appreciate getting early warnings. Some locals want officials to reduce elephant numbers through hunting. The system helps, butit cannot track all 45,000 elephants living in the Hwange area.
Zimbabwe counts about 100,000 elephants, far exceeding what the land can support. Hungry elephants often raid village crops, destroy water systems, and sometimes hurt people. Park officials report wildlife conflicts killed 18 Zimbabweans between January and April this year. Rangers had to eliminate 158 problem animals during that time. The EarthRanger platform shows collared elephants moving near community lands.
Sixteen elephants, mostly female herd leaders, wear these tracking devices. Rangers follow entire groups by monitoring the leaders. Villagers still bang pots to scare away elephants, but appreciate getting early warnings. Some locals want officials to reduce elephant numbers through hunting. The system helps, butit cannot track all 45,000 elephants living in the Hwange area.
