KAROI, Janu 21 (NEWSDAYLIVE) - THE Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has deployed rangers to track down a lone buffalo that attacked and injured a 10- year-old girl at Foliot Farm in Hurungwe at the weekend.
The victim, a learner at Moy Primary School, is recuperating at Karoi District Hospital.
The girl's mother, Sarah Antonio, said her daughter was attacked while herding cattle together with her siblings.
"On Saturday, they left for cattle herding near our plot. There were four and she was attacked by the lone bull. She fell down where it trampled her. She narrowly escaped death. She was injured on her left ribs and cheek," she said, adding that the buffalo later turned its anger against the victim's elder brother after he attempted to intervene.
"He used logs to chase the buffalo away and it then left her and tried to chase after him. He ran away and injured his ankle in the process."
"The buffalo has been around for some time now and it's a security threat to the community," she said.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the incident and said rangers have been deployed to track down the troublesome animal.
"I can confirm that a ten-year-old girl was gored by a buffalo. She was injured and our reaction teams are on the ground tracking down the problem animal with the view of eliminating it. They are also making assessments on how the bull attacked the girl," Farawo told NewsDayLive.
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He also expressed concern over the surge in human-wildlife conflicts reports.
"The rising number of conflicts is deeply concerning and has resulted in loss of life and serious injuries," Farawo noted.
Calls have been for the implementation of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund after 300 deaths and hundreds of injuries due to human-wildlife conflict nationwide last year.
Cabinet approved the establishment of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund in June 2023 through a Bill later known as the Parks and Wildlife Bill H.B 1.2024, but the fund is yet to be set up, with the victims footing their own medical bills.
