Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe
This study is the first to assess wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) in Zimbabwe. The study analysed the impact and factors that influence vehicle collisions with large wild mammals along the Harare-Chirundu road section in the protected Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe. Data were retrieved fr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific African |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227620302568 |
| _version_ | 1818322739280216064 |
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| author | Edson Gandiwa Clayton Mashapa Never Muboko Abel Chemura Phillip Kuvaoga Cheryl T. Mabika |
| author_facet | Edson Gandiwa Clayton Mashapa Never Muboko Abel Chemura Phillip Kuvaoga Cheryl T. Mabika |
| author_sort | Edson Gandiwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study is the first to assess wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) in Zimbabwe. The study analysed the impact and factors that influence vehicle collisions with large wild mammals along the Harare-Chirundu road section in the protected Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe. Data were retrieved from the Hurungwe Safari Area records and covered the period between 2006 and 2013. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the recorded variables across the sampled area and to show trends of the prevalence of large wild mammals roadkill over time. Using STATISTICA version 10 for Windows, a two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine differences between the number of wild mammal animal roadkills and seasons. A total of 47 large wild mammal animals were killed between 2006 and 2013. The large wild mammal animals that died as a result of vehicle collisions constituted a total of 11 species, with the African buffalo and spotted hyena being the most hit and killed animal species. Most WVC involved heavy haulage trucks and passenger buses. There was no significance difference (P = 0.936) between number of large wild mammal animals killed from WVC between dry and wet seasons. The large wild mammal animals were mostly killed in areas near water sources. We recommend for the inclusion of wildlife protection safeguards in road infrastructure network design and development, particularly on roads that traverse across protected areas in Zimbabwe and beyond. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:01:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60fc799c3a7a4469b72479f6451e3f86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2468-2276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:01:35Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific African |
| spelling | doaj.art-60fc799c3a7a4469b72479f6451e3f862022-12-21T23:49:14ZengElsevierScientific African2468-22762020-09-019e00518Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern ZimbabweEdson Gandiwa0Clayton Mashapa1Never Muboko2Abel Chemura3Phillip Kuvaoga4Cheryl T. Mabika5School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, ZimbabweSchool of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe; Corresponding author.School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, ZimbabweDepartment of Environmental Science and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, A Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, GermanyScientific Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, P.O. Box CY140, Causeway, Harare, ZimbabweScientific Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, P.O. Box CY140, Causeway, Harare, ZimbabweThis study is the first to assess wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) in Zimbabwe. The study analysed the impact and factors that influence vehicle collisions with large wild mammals along the Harare-Chirundu road section in the protected Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe. Data were retrieved from the Hurungwe Safari Area records and covered the period between 2006 and 2013. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the recorded variables across the sampled area and to show trends of the prevalence of large wild mammals roadkill over time. Using STATISTICA version 10 for Windows, a two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine differences between the number of wild mammal animal roadkills and seasons. A total of 47 large wild mammal animals were killed between 2006 and 2013. The large wild mammal animals that died as a result of vehicle collisions constituted a total of 11 species, with the African buffalo and spotted hyena being the most hit and killed animal species. Most WVC involved heavy haulage trucks and passenger buses. There was no significance difference (P = 0.936) between number of large wild mammal animals killed from WVC between dry and wet seasons. The large wild mammal animals were mostly killed in areas near water sources. We recommend for the inclusion of wildlife protection safeguards in road infrastructure network design and development, particularly on roads that traverse across protected areas in Zimbabwe and beyond.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227620302568Protected areasRoad ecologyRoadkillWild animalsZimbabwe |
| spellingShingle | Edson Gandiwa Clayton Mashapa Never Muboko Abel Chemura Phillip Kuvaoga Cheryl T. Mabika Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe Scientific African Protected areas Road ecology Roadkill Wild animals Zimbabwe |
| title | Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Hurungwe Safari Area, northern Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | wildlife vehicle collisions in hurungwe safari area northern zimbabwe |
| topic | Protected areas Road ecology Roadkill Wild animals Zimbabwe |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227620302568 |
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