MOSI-O-TUNYA (Zambia): Hundreds of wild elephants are the latest refugees from violence and disorder in Robert Mugabe’s crisis-torn Zimbabwe. The animals are fleeing the country by wading across the Zambezi river to escape being shot or trapped by so-called “war veterans” and illegal hunters.

Game wardens in Zambia say record numbers of elephants are crossing the Zambezi, which forms the border between the two countries, to avoid being poached by armed gangs in Zimbabwe.

“Elephants are quite intelligent and can communicate. They know they are safer on this side of the river,” said one game warden.

The exodus is an indication of the devastation facing wildlife in Zimbabwe, where animals are said to be at risk of indiscriminate slaughter in reserves and former privately owned game parks.

With the breakdown of law and order, animals of all kinds are reportedly being poached on a massive scale for ivory and even for food.

At Mosi-o-Tunya National Park, on the Zambian side of the Zambezi river near Victoria Falls, elephants are crossing the river daily. Wildlife experts say the movement is much larger than the normal seasonal emigration and is causing a serious problem for Zambian authorities. There are so many elephants trapped in a small area that serious damage is being caused to the environment.

About 200 elephants are thought to be living in the small national park, close to the city of Livingstone, an area more used to a population of about 50. The elephants are stripping the bush of foliage and knocking down trees, and there are conflicts between the wild elephants and farmers. Elephants killed two local villagers in the park this year.

Marianthy Noble, Zambia representative of the UK-based David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, said: “Lawlessness in Zimbabwe is definitely a factor in driving more elephants into Zambia and causing a problem here.”

According to reports, game hunters from South Africa are taking advantage of the breakdown in law and order to buy hunting licences in the former conservancies, allowing them to shoot anything that moves. In other cases, villagers are reported to be killing wildlife “for fun.” —Dawn/The Guardian News Service.