Even the animals are leaving…
I was literally laughing out loud while reading comments of a story on elephants that have migrated and continue to cross into Botswana in search of water.
According to Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, water bodies at the Hwange National Park have dried up, forcing wild animals, especially buffaloes and elephants, to cross over in search of greener, wetter pastures.
“I can’t quantify how many elephants have moved, whether its hundreds or thousands but it has been a lot. And the amount of animals migrating has definitely increased over the years due to the increase in water shortages,” the authority’s spokesperson Tinashe Farawo was quoted saying.
Though the migration between Hwange National Park and Botswana is not a new thing during the dry season, the authority said this year it had come too early and the animals had crossed in large numbers.
It is the comments that ‘killed me’ as they also made me realise that people were finding humor in these distressing times.
It also reminded me of how someone once said, Zimbos may be struggling economically and financially but that has not dimmed their humor; laughing about our problems is actually a survival mechanism, noted another.
And here we are insinuating that elephants are also leaving the country due to political and economic reasons.
“The elephants should have been patient, we have a plan. Happiness is finally here, behold the new things loading, we will provide lots of water for our elephants under a new Zimbabwe. #Godisinit,” tweeted Nherera Mafukidze, echoing the tone of opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa who has been saying people should not lose hope following the August 23 elections as plans were underway to reclaim their victory.
“The elephants couldn’t wait for SADC to act against the regime,” wrote one Thabani while Nobuhle Sibanda said, “Even wild animals are tired of ZanuPF and Mnangagwa, they would rather be illegal immigrants in Botswana.”
People went on and on with similar comments and laughing about them, but at the heart of it all, one could sense the pain, not about the elephants but about the situation we find ourselves in and that just like the animals, many Zimbos will continue leaving the country in search for better living conditions.
Meanwhile in other news, the European Union announced on Tuesday that it will formally suspend its US$5 million financial aid for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) citing lack of transparency and irregularities in the just ended elections.
In a statement, the EU said a number of regional and international electoral observer missions had raised concerns over the management of elections by ZEC and as such had decided to withdraw its funding.
The primary goal of the funds is to enhance ZECs capacity to conduct the electoral process.
