Zimparks puts down rogue jumbos
the quelea birds invade fields in large flocks.
The red-billed quelea is a small weaver bird native to sub-Saharan Africa and renowned for its attacks on small-grain crops within Africa. It is the most numerous bird species in the world, with a peak post-breeding population estimated at 1,8 billion.
Nomadic super-colonies can grow to millions of birds, making quelea not only the most abundant bird in the world but also the most destructive to cereal grains, especially sorghum and millets as well as wheat, rice and barley.
The birds are too small to attack maize, but smaller grains are vulnerable. They are naturally eaters of grass seeds, but farmers planting the smaller grains provide a vast reservoir of potential food allowing flocks to expand to far beyond their original natural size.
Government has also procured drones to control infestation of quelea birds so as to secure wheat production as it moves on to step up ways to digitalise the economy.
The drones can deliver the anti-quelea chemicals to roosting flocks far more cheaply and quickly than the light aircraft once commonly used. The drones will be distributed in provinces for the crop specialists to use. Authorities are making efforts to make sure that all farming and settled areas across the country are free from these pests, hence farmers should embrace new technologies to boost agricultural operations.
THe Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife management authority (Zimparks) has shot and killed two rogue elephants that were terrorising residents in Beitbridge east and some sections of Beitbridge town.
Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the two jumbos were killed near the town council’s peri-urban farm after being hunted by parks rangers.
“When human and wildlife conflict arises and the lives of humans are at risk, we are duty bound to act and hence we shot and killed the two elephants.
“They had become problem animals in the town, especially around the Beitbridge council farm,” said Mr Farawo.
He said people must report problem animals as soon as possible to the authorities so that they are professionally handled.
elephants have become a perennial headache for the Beitbridge community especially in situations where they enter farmlands and damage crops and property and at times kill people during their various encounters.
These elephant-related conflicts are common in areas where human settlements and agriculture overlap with elephant habitats along the Shashe and Limpopo rivers which divide the country with Botswana and South Africa respectively.