The woman was
in the company of her child and niece when the elephant appeared near the
Heights Y Junction, cornering the trio before she fled, but the elephant caught
up with her.
After the
attack, the two companions and several well-wishers scrambled down the hill,
where they found her body littered with scars.
Community
members and the local authority took her remains to Kariba Hospital mortuary.
Kariba Urban
Residents Association spokesperson Samson Coffee said the community was hurt by
human-wildlife conflicts, where people are losing their lives.
“We understand
Kariba is an animal-infested area, so we must exercise caution, but sometimes
we have no choice because transport to the relevant destinations is
unavailable. We are hurt for losing such an important and decision-making
person in the health sector in Kariba,” he said.
In a separate
tragedy, a man was attacked by a crocodile while fishing on Friday at Muchenga
Fishing Camp in Gache Gache, rural Kariba.
The man, whose
name has not yet been released, was dragged from his dinghy into the water.
Search efforts
are continuing, with the community, police and ZimParks teams working together
to locate him. Newsday
Gache Gache
Fishing Camp chairperson Tichaona Manzungu said the community was heartbroken
by the incident.
“He was a
dedicated fisherman who loved the lake and to lose him to a crocodile in the
very waters he trusted is a tragedy for the whole community,” he said.
“Our thoughts
are with his family and we urge anyone who saw anything unusual to come forward
so we can prevent further loss.”
Human
elephant-conflict is a growing concern in Zimbabwe, with the IUCN recording 84
incidents between 2010 and 2019, resulting in 22 fatalities.
Crocodile
attacks also pose a significant risk along Lake Kariba, where the water body
hosts large Nile crocodile populations.
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