A herd of more than 150 elephants, including several juveniles, has crossed into Zambia’s Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park from neighboring Zimbabwe, prompting a warning from wildlife officials about the animals’ heightened protective instincts.
Wilfred Moonga, the Senior Wildlife Warden for Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) in the southern region, confirmed the migration last week. He noted that some of the juveniles are as young as one week old, making their mothers particularly defensive.
“The presence of such young calves makes the herd more vigilant and potentially aggressive toward any perceived threats,” Mr. Moonga told ZNBC News.
This seasonal migration, a regular occurrence in the region, typically takes place later in the dry season. However, for the past two years, elephants have been arriving in Zambia earlier than usual, raising questions about possible environmental or ecological changes influencing their movement patterns.
Officials are urging motorists to exercise caution, particularly along the stretch of road between the Radisson Blu Hotel and the Dry Manzi picnic area, which serves as an active wildlife corridor.
“We strongly advise road users to be vigilant and give the elephants the right of way to prevent any dangerous encounters,” Mr. Moonga added.
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that borders the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls, is home to a variety of wildlife, including elephants, buffalo, and antelope. Conservationists stress the importance of maintaining peaceful human-wildlife coexistence, particularly as development encroaches on traditional migration routes.
Authorities will continue monitoring the herd’s movements to ensure both the safety of the elephants and the public. Meanwhile, residents and tourists are urged to remain alert and respect the natural rhythms of the park’s wildlife.
Hoping there won’t be elephant to human conflict…
Call SADC peacekeeper to go head the elephants back to their country. You know to Zambians this is meat!!
This situation won’t end well, because the immigrants are Zimbabweans. This is like Congolese elephants crossing into Rwanda.
If it was Botswana they could have just said keep them.
This must be an April Fool’s Day joke. If elephnats cross, then it is a blessing to the Southern Province.
No News there.. animals cross borders in Africa everyday. Masai Mara and Serengeti share these crossings between Tanzania and Kenya, South Africa and Mozambique share these crossings in the Great Limpopo transfrontiere park. Chad and Nigeria share animals in the Chad Basin Virunga has animals crossing from DRC to Uganda to Rwanda etc etc
Thanks for your beautiful export Zimbabwe .Now let’s get more from Botswana’s side please so we can build Zed’s tourism to the heights of SA ,Kenya and Morocco .
@Enka. they are not here to stay. Its a seasonal migration. Its been going on since time imemorial!
Do these elephants have passports?
Yes and HH gave them a visa waiver
@Nostradamus! This is nothing new, it’s a yearly occurrence………they come for the water from Zambezi river for a few months then go back.
They are Gary Nkombo’s. They are preparing for a stampede on HH
Good now keep them this side.
It’s a normal annual migration, nothing sinister here. No politics like some foolish, people want to wash their dirty linen on public fora, such as this one. What a shame!
Charge them visa fees! Then give them work permits so they can stay here and entertain their fellow tourists.
They tired of sanctions
Kikikikikiki! Only Mnangagwa can withstand sanctions.
In addition,pakudya, this is a natural favour, donation and animal shift to a more democratic environment. And One good thing about it is that it’s difficult to identify a zambian, botswana, Malawian or Angolan elephant because they are all tropical species. We are blessed and I think hon sikumba, the minister of tourism must be excited because they have added value to tourism
I think Hon Sikumba is clueless to what is happening with elephants in Livingstone, he only comes for the free food and drinks he gets from the hotels. What has he really done in the past 3 yrs,,,,,, 4 years ago we had 4 international airlines arriving at Livingstone, today 1. Zim side 16
@Cosmos; this isn’t a government of thinkers. It’s a government of sleepers in cabinet meetings!
Passport Office show us your power
Arrest the illegal immigrants
These animals are teaching us that we don’t need borders