Hwange National Park struggling to cope with exponential growth of elephants

Zimbabwe's largest wildlife park, Hwange National Park, is struggling to cope with the exponential growth of elephants which is driving up costs of running Africa's third largest park.

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management (ZPWMA)Authority's Western Region manager,  Aurther Musakwa told journalists touring the park that the country's elephant density had grown to over abundance over the years.

"Elephants density has grown from 0,06 per square kilometre to +2 per square kilometre. This has driven up costs of pumping game water from boreholes," said Musakwa.

"Annually, we require at least $2,5 million to run the park. Pumping game water takes at least $800 000 per annum."

Hwange has got over 45 000 elephants within its environs. The population grew from just 1 000 when the park was established in 1928.

"We are sitting on 70 tonnes of ivory worth $10,5m as well as five tonnes of rhino horns. However, we can't sell them until 2017," he said.

"What we want is to be allowed to use the dead animals to take care of the living animals."

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), Zimbabwe was allowed to sell its ivory in 2009 but would be only allowed to make another sale in 2017.

Speaking at the same event, ZPWMA acting director conservation Geofferys Matipano said the authority was facing difficulties in generating revenue as donor funding dried up in 1999 over a diplomatic stand-off between Zimbabwe and her former coloniser, Britain and her allies.

"When we were weaned off by government we were told to retain all the funds. However, there has been a lot of negative publicity and we have not managed to raise much revenue," Matipano said.

"For instance occupancies and arrivals in our lodges is 50% down due negative publicity and Ebola scare this year."

Matipano added that the authority needs to expand its sources of revenue and shift from consumptive tourism to non consumputive - like picture taking, game viewing and birding, among other activities.

In addition to that, to contain the elephant increase, Matipano said the authority was looking at various options to deal with the situation.

"We are looking at options like selling live elephants to appropriate destinations, culling or even limiting game water supply which leads to eventual elephant die-offs," he said.

"However, we feel this will also attract negative publicity from the international communities. So we will be forced to continue live sales."

An adult elephant consumes at least 300kgs of food and 200 litres of water per day.

The over abundance of elephants in Zimbabwe is causing severe habitat loss to other animals.

Zimbabwe's carrying capacity for elephants is 45 000, yet the country currently has a total population of over 90 000.