DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 10, (Xinhua/GNA) – At least 50 people in Tanzania are killed by wild animals annually, a senior official with Tanzania’s wildlife authorities said on Monday.
Mabula Nyanda, a Conservation Commissioner with the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), said the wild animals that stray from their sanctuaries also destroy at least 5,000 hectares of farm crops annually.
“The number of people killed by wild animals is on the rise and urgent measures are needed to address this horrific situation,” Nyanda told a meeting of wildlife conservation officers at TAWA Headquarters in Morogoro region.
The official said TAWA has already put in place a plan aimed at controlling the human-wildlife conflicts that cause dire consequences to mankind. Nyanda singled out elephants as the leading wild animals that strayed from national parks and game reserves to villages, killing people and destroying farms.
GNA