HARARE, Jan.11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 62 people were killed and 81 injured as a result of wildlife attacks in Zimbabwe in 2025, according to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).

Hyenas, crocodiles, and elephants remained the most frequently reported problem animals, underscoring the need to scale up preventive measures, state broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday quoted ZimParks Spokesperson Tamirirashe Mudzingwa as saying.

He said that in 2025, a total of 556 problem animals were neutralized to mitigate the challenge of human-wildlife conflict, mostly recorded in wildlife-rich districts.

According to ZimParks, in 2024, 49 people were killed and 90 were injured in human-wildlife conflicts.

Mudzingwa said the increase in human-wildlife conflict reflects both growing wildlife populations and improved reporting mechanisms within communities.

Authorities observed that human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe is primarily driven by habitat loss, growing human and wildlife populations, climate change-induced resource scarcity, and expanding settlements into wildlife areas, forcing animals like elephants, lions, and hyenas into closer contact with people for food and water, leading to crop and livestock losses, injuries, and fatalities.

Amid rising human-wildlife conflicts, the Zimbabwean government last year established a human-wildlife conflict relief mechanism to support affected communities.

Zimbabwe is home to an abundance of wildlife, including giraffes, zebras, antelopes, crocodiles, and hippopotamuses, and hosts Africa's second-largest elephant population after Botswana. ■