A 68-year-old Hurungwe man was trampled to death when a herd of elephants invaded his field on Monday last week.

Kenneth Machengo from Laughing Hills Farm in ward 18, was attacked by one of the seven elephants while harvesting his maize crop.

His body was discovered by villagers with signs of severe injuries sustained during the attack.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the incident.

It is sad that one elderly man from Hurungwe lost his life after he was attacked by elephants on Monday (last week), he said. We are, however, doing all we can to drive away the animals as they now have ability further cause damage to crops and loss of human lives.

Due to overpopulation of the elephants, human-animal conflicts are now a major challenge in low lying communities that share boundaries with game reserves.

World bodies have continued to restrict Zimbabwe from killing elephants and selling ivory, resulting in overpopulation.

The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources programme, which was initiated to financially support people affected by wild animal challenges, is being revived.

Recently, villagers in Mhangura Constituency pleaded with Zimparks to resolve the issue of stray elephants and a pride of lions that were threatening crops, livestock and humans.