VILLAGERS in Dingani area, a settlement outside Dete, Matabeleland North province, have started relocating their livestock to an area adjacent to the Hwange game reserve due to lack of pastures as a result of the prolonged dry spell.
They have relocated the cattle to Hwange number 3 in a bid to save their livestock as the El Niño-induced drought takes its toll.
Some villagers are reportedly resorting to selling some of the cattle for a song.
Dingani village headman Dumisani Mpala yesterday told Southern Eye that villagers had been left with no choice but to sell their livestock.
“We have had this situation before in the 1990s, where people were forced to relocate their livestock because of drought,” he said.
A villager, Epias Ndlovu, said they were losing their cattle to drought.
“There is nothing left for the livestock, no water and grazing lands,” Ndlovu said.
“Wild animals at the game park are also preying on our livestock.”
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According to reports, Zimbabwe lost more than 7 000 cattle in November and December last year owing to a prolonged dry spell.
According to a latest report by Famine Early Warning Systems Network, poor livestock body conditions, particularly for cattle, will likely lead to higher-than-normal livestock deaths in the dry season as the limited pastures deplete and high prices limit access to supplementary feeds.
