NYANGOMBE, Zimbabwe — In the first six months of 2026, the local council in Chiredzi recorded 317 cases of human-wildlife conflict in this district of southeastern Zimbabwe. In villages like Nyangombe, which is flanked by large game reserves such as Save Valley Conservancy and Nyangombe Community Conservancy, residents say wildlife frequently eat their crops and attack livestock or even people. “Buffaloes destroy crops and spread diseases, while wild dogs, jackals, leopards and even lions target livestock,” Edson Mabika, a farmer in Nyangombe, told Mongabay. Mabika said he lost four sheep and a calf to wild animals in less than 10 days despite having a secure kraal and an experienced herd boy with three dogs. The loss prompted Mabika to think outside the box to protect his livestock. He asked a friend, a former game-reserve ranger, for suggestions on how to scare away wild predators without getting in harm’s way. His friend’s advice caught him by surprise: “He just advised me to try drawing eyes on the butts of my animals,” Mabika said. One of Edson Mabika’s cows, with decoy eyes painted on its rump. Image by Cecil Dzwowa for Mongabay. Mabika thought the former ranger was joking, but says his friend kept insisting. In January 2025, he painted black and white eyes on the backsides of about a third of his livestock. The first victims of the fake “butt eyes” were a pack of local dogs who barked aggressively after being startled by the new “eyes” on the livestock. Mabika…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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