Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Tourism Minister Rodney Sikumba has disclosed that 61 people lost their lives in the country in 2020 due to human wildlife conflict.
A ministerial statement to Parliament on the human wildlife conflict, Mr Sikumba says 45 people were also injured during the same period.
He says 10,487 reported incidences of human wildlife conflict were documented by his ministry in 2020 compared to 8,765 in 2019.
Mr Sikumba adds that 47 people were killed in 2019 as a result of human wildlife conflict with 35 injured.
He says the ministry has recognized human wildlife conflict as a perennial problem which manifests in the form of crop and property damage and human injuries and fatalities, land boundary disputes,land use exclusion and encroachments in and around wildlife protected areas.
Mr Sikumba adds that in addition to the direct threat of human life, human wildlife conflict has also has had a negative impact on livestock and crop.