Zimbabwean schoolchildren threatened by wildlife – learning how to spot danger

Many children, some as young as five, walk kilometres through the wilderness to get to school in Zimbabwe. These are dangerous areas; elephants, rhinos and lions may lurk nearby. There are crocodiles along the waterways.

The news agency reported that the students are afraid. dad Who visited the area. No children have been reported dead, but there are cases where they have been seriously injured.

Many go in groups to feel safe. It is not uncommon for classes to start later or end earlier so that children can walk the distance between school and home during times when animals are not active.

Study from 2022 which was published in the magazine nature Climate change appears likely to bring wildlife closer to humans in the future. Global warming and deforestation mean animals are forced to seek out other areas. In Zimbabwe, increasingly long periods of drought have led to animals moving into populated areas in search of food and water.

Now the authorities and a private nature reserve are training schoolchildren to spot tracks that indicate danger. They recognize the footprints and different sounds of certain animals.

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The aim is for the children to feel in control and not see the animals as an adversary, but as part of the community, the conservancy chief said. Among other things, they will hear about how Zimbabwe's wildlife contributes to tourism and creates more jobs.

“We know students who have stopped going to school altogether out of fear for their lives,” Obert Masaruri, head of the country’s teachers’ union, told The Associated Press.

He adds that more and more teachers are staying home from work.

These challenges, he says, exacerbate the vulnerability of students in rural areas, once again denying them access to education.