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A stray hippo has reportedly gone on rampage in Nkole Mfumu area of Kasama, destroying crop fields and killing one person in what residents describe as a growing human–animal conflict crisis.
According to Kasama Radio, residents are calling on the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to urgently intervene before more lives and livelihoods are lost.
Nkole Mfumu Agricultural Camp Zone Chairperson, Weston Mulenga, said the hippo was believed to have strayed from the Lukulu River and has been roaming through farm fields since the onset of the rainy season, causing extensive damage to maize and other crops.
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“The situation turned tragic this past month when the said hippo attacked and killed a local resident,” Mulenga lamented.
He said the matter was reported to ZAWA, but despite several attempts to trace the animal, wildlife officers have so far been unable to locate it.
Mulenga has now appealed to ZAWA to redeploy officers to the area, either to relocate the animal or put in place measures to prevent further loss of life and damage to crops.
Residents fear that with increased flooding and the growing presence of wildlife near settlements, more of such incidents could occur if authorities do not act swiftly.
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