Villagers in Singugwe, Gwanda have raised alarm over increasing attacks by baboons, which are now killing chickens and goats as human-wildlife conflicts intensify in the region.
The locals attribute this escalating conflict, possibly to the effects of climate change, which has led to recurrent droughts across parts of Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe.
The resulting scarcity of wild fruits, roots, and vegetation, the baboons’ natural food sources , has forced them to move closer to human settlements in search of food.
As a result, baboons have been raiding crops, breaking into chicken pens and even attacking small livestock.
Speaking to CITE, a villager from Singugwe, Nomusa Sibanda, described the situation as dire.
“Baboons are troubling us, we are losing our stock such as chickens and goats. I don’t know whether long back, baboons would eat livestock but now they are and we are in a dilemma,” Sibanda said.
Sibanda said villagers have been forced to cage their animals or closely monitor them throughout the day.
“We now have to watch our livestock or let our livestock graze close by. If you leave your livestock unattended you will come to your dead chickens and goats.”
“I have lost goat kids before, as last year baboons ate three kids. This year I have so far lost two as I now try to be alert and keep watch of my livestock because mostly the goat kids will be a few days old,” she said.
Another villager from Nyandeni, Sihle Ndlovu, said baboons have become more aggressive this year.
“I have lost 13 chickens. Every time I let my chickens out, a baboon will immediately kill and eat them. This is a problem for us villagers and this year the issue seems to be worse,” Ndlovu said.
Sithandazile Sibanda from the same area shared similar frustrations.
“Each time my goats go out to graze, they come back fewer. I’m really stressed about this menace. We don’t understand where this behavior is coming from,” she lamented.
Chief Masuku confirmed the baboon menace in the community.
“I can confirm that the problem is there. I have since made a follow up with the Rural District Council to see how villagers can be assisted,” he said.
The problem is not confined to rural areas. In cities such as Bulawayo, residents have also reported baboons encroaching on settlements, particularly around Pumula suburb, according to the Bulawayo City Council (BCC).
Across the region, similar incidents are being reported. In South Africa, baboons have been driven into urban spaces by wildfires that destroyed their natural habitats earlier this year. They have been seen foraging in gardens, raiding refuse bins, and even entering homes.
In one disturbing incident earlier this year, a young male baboon named Raygun who was being tracked while making his way through a Pretoria suburb was hunted down and burned to death by a group of teenagers.
Elsewhere in Kenya’s Nakuru County, residents of Naka Estate live with the daily sight of baboons turning rooftops into playgrounds, a stark reminder of how climate and habitat pressures are increasingly blurring the line between humans and wildlife.