Wild animals killed 97 Mozambicans in 2020 – crocodiles are the most lethal

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Wild animals killed 97 Mozambicans in 2020 – crocodiles are the most lethal

8:15 CAT | 24 Mar 2021

File photo: Lusa

A total of 97 Mozambicans died and 66 were injured in 2020 in attacks by wild animals, mostly by crocodiles, a report by the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) reveals.

About 71% of the deaths were recorded in provinces located in the central zone, the ANAC said in its report.

Crocodiles attacked mainly in the provinces of Tete and Zambézia and were responsible for 76 deaths., three quarters of the total.

According to the agency, crocodiles killed the largest number in February, a total of 19, followed by January, with 13, and December, with nine deaths – all months of the rainy season, which in Mozambique runs from October to April.

In these months, rivers rise, causing agricultural and housing areas to be flooded, increasing the risks for those who live there.

Most of the victims are women and children who go to the river to bathe, wash clothes or to draw water.

The numbers refer to accidents registered by the authorities, with the possibility of more cases going unreported, especially in remote areas.

The human-wildlife conflict arises from competition for space and natural resources, particularly the need to practice agriculture, a scenario often observed in communities living close to conservation areas.

The Mozambican authorities regularly report deaths, injuries, and destruction of crops by animals, and techniques have been developed for residents to drive them off, pending the arrival of rangers.

In 2020, the ANAC report advances, 248.81 hectares of diverse crops were destroyed, mostly by elephants in Tete and Gaza provinces.

Not only people suffer in these confrontations. In 2020, 85 animals of different species were killed “in defence of people and goods”, the ANAC details.

Source: Lusa