Loveness Ncube, a woman in her 40s from Number 3 Makwika Village in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province, was airlifted to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo after an elephant @ttacked her while she was collecting charcoal from an old mine dumpsite, resulting in a broken spine.
Initially treated at St. Patrick’s Hospital for her critical !njuries, Ncube’s deteriorating condition necessitated her transfer to a more advanced medical facility in Bulawayo, where her family has faced significant challenges in raising the necessary ambulance transfer fees.
Daniel Sithole, director of the Green Shango Environment Trust, highlighted the tragic nature of this incident on social media, pointing out the urgent need for legislative reforms to better support victims of such conflicts, which are expected to rise due to the effects of climate change disrupting wildlife habitats and pushing elephants and other animals into closer contact with humans.
Sithole’s comments also shed light on the disturbing disparity in emergency services available for wildlife versus human victims, asserting that it is shocking that while wild animals are afforded ambulance services, there appears to be no equivalent support for human victims like Ncube, emphasizing the need for immediate action to address these inequalities as the frequency of human-wildlife conflict continues to escalate.
SOURCE : NEWSREPORTZIM.COM
