A considerable number of elephants from Zimbabwe's largest national park have ventured into Botswana in pursuit of water.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo was quoted by AFP as saying that the elephants had been migrating since August as water bodies at Hwange National Park dried up.
About 50,000 elephants reside in Hwange National Park, which is larger than 14,600 square kilometres.
“I can’t quantify how many elephants have moved whether it's hundreds or thousands but it has been a lot,” he said.
“The [number] of animals migrating has definitely increased over the years due to the increase in water shortages.”
Farawo said buffaloes and “all types of animals present in the park” were also migrating in large numbers.
Wildlife migration from Hwange National Park to Botswana is common, but the authorities said this year's migration was "too early" due to climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that as the planet warms, southern Africa will be increasingly vulnerable to drought and heat waves.
Conservationists estimate that Zimbabwe's parks are nearly overcrowded with elephants due to the country's population of around 100,000.
About 130,000 of the world's elephants call Botswana home.
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