Herds of stray elephants and hyenas are wreaking havoc on 22 villages located close to wildlife protected areas in Tanzania’s northern district of Meatu in Simiyu region, an official said on Friday.
Deusdedit Martin, Meatu district game officer, said between January and July this year, the elephants have destroyed about 822 hectares of farm crops belonging to 244 households.
“The marauding elephants have killed a total of 13 villagers and injured another six villagers in the 22 villages between 2017 and July 2021,” the official told Xinhua.
Martin added that between 2017 and July 2021, a total of 1760.3 hectares of farm crops were destroyed by the elephants, threatening food security for 782 households in the 22 villages.
He said that hyenas straying from the wildlife protected areas were also causing devastating consequences to the villages.
Martin said between 2017 and July 2021, the hyenas killed a total of 19 goats, eight cows and seven sheep in the villages.
“Most of the villagers have stopped farming in fear of the wild animals. They are spending sleepless nights to protect their farms and livestock,” he said.
According to the official, the elephants and hyenas are straying from Makao open protected area, Maswa forest reserve, the Ngorongoro area conservation and the Serengeti National Park. Enditem
