Deadly earthquake hits Colombia

Summary

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Global News Podcast (BBC World Service) – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Deadly earthquake hits Colombia
Date: August 11, 2026
Host: Will Chalk

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers comprehensive coverage of the deadly earthquake in Colombia, exploring on-the-ground experiences, the scale of devastation, and early rescue efforts. The podcast also examines major global developments: Turkey’s new law aiming to end Kurdish conflict, the rise of marriage fraud in China, dog-human emotional communication, record migrant crossings in the English Channel, human-elephant conflict near Victoria Falls, and the curious case of Dobby the house elf’s “grave” in Wales. Topical analysis and insightful firsthand accounts bring these stories to life.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. Colombia Earthquake: Catastrophe & Response

Segment Start: 02:13

• Eyewitness Account

  • Angelica Avila describes being in a hotel in Manizales:

    “It was moving quite strongly and everyone was screaming. And then as it started, stopped. I could look through the window and saw some like dust coming out of the neighboring buildings.” (02:13)

  • The chaos and uncertainty is palpable—“The airport is collapsed, flights are cancelled” (02:33).

• Scale of Destruction & Rescue Efforts

  • Death Toll: Over 130 confirmed fatalities.
  • State of Emergency: Declared by Colombia’s president.
  • Overwhelmed infrastructure, especially in Cali and Pereira—airports and roads damaged, communications patchy.

• Official & Reporter Insights

  • Alejandro Eda, Cali mayor:

    “The first 48 hours are critical for finding survivors... it’s like finding needles in a haystack right now.” (03:13)

  • Jose Carlos Cueto (BBC Mundo, Bogota):

    “The region is probably with the highest seismic activity in Colombia... Getting the full picture is difficult now. And when all these factors start to become more clear, people are fearing that the death toll can be higher.” (03:46, 04:26)

• Comparison: Venezuela Earthquake

  • Recent traumatic earthquake in Venezuela fresh on everyone’s mind.
  • Colombia is better prepared, but psychological scars are potent:

    “Having more than 100 dead people is a serious situation... though it's not expected to reach the level of thousands, more than 6,000 that Venezuela has already.” (Jose Carlos Cueto, 05:24, 06:23)

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2. Turkey’s Bid for Kurdish Peace

Segment Start: 07:02

• New Legislation: Approved law suspends prosecutions and allows some PKK militants to return to civilian life.

  • Driven by President Erdoğan’s political ambitions and the need for pro-Kurdish parliamentary support.
  • Orla Guerin (Senior International Correspondent):

    “Either he amends the constitution or he calls early elections. To do either... he needs the support of pro-Kurdish parties.” (07:02)

  • 2024 peace process background; PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan supports the legislation but does not benefit from it.

• Impact & Reactions

  • Mixed feelings among Kurdish people: relief about peace, skepticism about concessions.
  • Enduring demands for “political rights, cultural autonomy,” still unresolved. (08:15)
  • Guerin:

    “Having spoken to people... some said, look, peace has to come... Others felt that the PKK [was] not getting enough in return.” (09:09)

  • Legislative framework seen as critical to making peace last.

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3. China’s Flash Marriage Fraud & Demographic Crisis

Segment Start: 11:02

• Personal Story:

  • Wang Zhuang loses life savings to a scam bride arranged by a matchmaking agency:

    “I met seven [women]... Each meeting lasts about eight to 10 minutes... About three or four days [after that], we were married.” (11:26, 11:43)

  • Discovers deception—wife’s age, marital history, debt; feels devastated:

    “I’ve spent my life’s savings. The total damage is close to US$74,000. My parents blame me. I cannot work, I cannot sleep.” (12:15)

• Industry & Social Context

  • Flash marriage agencies thrive amidst China’s gender imbalance (~30 million surplus men).
  • The pressure to marry and offer bride prices is strong; fraud exploits desperation.
  • Agencies claim legitimacy, but industry is rife with scams and legal opacity.
  • Wang Zhuang:

    “I don’t know whether I can get married after what happened... I spent all my money. I won’t consider getting married again.” (14:31)

• Broader Issues

  • Fewer marriages accelerate China’s population decline—heightening state concerns.
  • Laura Bicker:

    “It’s a shift that’s reshaping society and creating a challenge the Communist Party is struggling to overcome.” (14:42)

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4. Dog Brains and Human Smiles: Austrian Study

Segment Start: 15:22

• Key Findings

  • Dogs’ reward centers activate in response to photos of smiling humans.
  • Evolution with humans has reshaped dog brains’ social understanding.
  • Jose Carlos Cueto:

    “The dog brain solves the problem of understanding emotions in others in a way that cannot be found in other similar animals.” (16:25)

• Practical Takeaway

  • Smiling at your dog enhances bonding; as advice:

    “One simple thing you can do to improve that relationship, smile more at your dog.” (Victoria Gill, 16:59)

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5. Record Migrant Boat Crossing the English Channel

Segment Start: 23:09

• Stunning Numbers:

  • Dinghy carries 230+ migrants—including 20 children—setting a new record.
  • Overloaded, perilous crossing; French authorities monitor but do not intervene due to safety.

• Rescue & Smuggler Tactics

  • Rob Laurie (Aid Worker):

    “Bottom line, money. That’s all it is... If 30 people go overboard on that boat... the smugglers will disappear for a while... they come back and they make more money.” (25:08)

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6. Human-Elephant Conflict at Victoria Falls, Zambia

Segment Start: 25:45

• Development Encroachment & Drought

  • Elephants invade urban areas searching for food; driven by habitat loss from expanding tourism and severe drought.
  • Residents fearful; some locals chase elephants—a dangerous tactic leading to fatalities.

• Community Adaptation

  • Locals and Conservation & Tourism Society urge coexistence and nonviolence:

    “When you see elephants coming... don’t throw stones on them, don’t scream, chase them or anything. We just need to stay inside.” (27:27)

  • Night patrols gently guide elephants back towards the park:

    “Come on, guys, it’s time to go.” (28:44)

  • Hopes for changing mindsets:

    “Maybe in five years, people’s mindset will definitely change.” (29:13)

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7. Dobby’s “Grave” and a Real-World Pipeline

Segment Start: 29:29

• Fandom’s Power:
  • The spot where Dobby the house elf “died” in Harry Potter films becomes a pilgrimage site.
  • Fan campaign reroutes a planned undersea cable to protect the makeshift grave:

    “There was hundreds of calls made to the company asking them, please do not do this to Dobby’s grave because apparently it was going to go directly under Dobby’s grave.” (Victoria Maclean, 30:10)

  • The memorial draws continuous homage—hand-painted rocks, tokens left by visitors:

    “Dobby’s grave is a permanent reminder of how important he is to us as the fans.” (32:23)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Colombia Earthquake:

  “It’s like finding needles in a haystack right now.” (Alejandro Eda, 03:13)

• On Marriage Scams in China:

  “I cannot work, I cannot sleep.” (Wang Zhuang, 12:15)

• On Evolution of Dog Brains:

  “The dog brain has certain capacity... makes them really good at understanding others.” (Jose Carlos Cueto, 16:28)

• On Smuggler Motives:

  “Bottom line, money. That's all it is.” (Rob Laurie, 25:08)

• On Elephants and Expanding Cities:

  “Elephants never used to come in our communities, but they keep on building lodges, give out land just like that. Elephants almost do not have enough place... they end up visiting those communities to spoil their gardens, cause damages of houses. You know, people get angry.” (Local Resident, 26:46)

• On Dobby’s Beach Memorial:

  “It’s like a homage where people can come and say goodbye to an incredibly loved fictional character...” (Victoria Maclean, 30:10)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:13 – Eyewitness accounts from Colombia earthquake
• 03:13 – Cali mayor on challenges of rescue
• 03:46 – Jose Carlos Cueto in Bogota, ongoing uncertainty
• 07:02 – Orla Guerin on Turkey’s new Kurdish peace law
• 11:02 – Flash marriage scams in China and Wang Zhuang’s story
• 15:22 – Austrian research on dogs’ reactions to human emotions
• 23:09 – Record migrant channel crossing
• 25:45 – Elephants and human conflict near Victoria Falls
• 29:29 – Dobby’s grave and the fan campaign in Wales

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Episode Tone & Style

The reporting is direct yet empathetic—delivering hard news with sensitivity to personal tragedy and broader social implications. The tone remains factual but frequently gives a voice to those directly affected, relaying their shock, hope, and ongoing struggle.

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Useful for listeners seeking:

• A clear grasp of multiple interconnected global news stories
• Human-centered reporting on both headline events and underlying trends
• Firsthand reactions and locally grounded expert analysis

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Will Chalk]

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[Will Chalk]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and in the early hours of Tuesday 11th August, these are our main stories. A Thursday a state of emergency is declared in Colombia after a powerful earthquake kills more than 130 people. A law has been approved in Turkey aimed at resolving decades of conflict with the Kurdish militant group the pkk.

[Wang Zhuang]

Also in this podcast, I've spent my life's savings. The total damage is close to US$74,000. I cannot work. I cannot sleep.

[Will Chalk]

We have a special report on the crippling cost of sham marriages in China. Are humans and elephants getting a bit too close for comfort in Zambia? And what are dogs thinking when we smile at them?

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

The dog brain has certain capacity that

[Reporter/Interviewer]

makes them really good at understanding others.

[Will Chalk]

We start with this.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

I was in a hotel at the moment. It was moving quite strongly and everyone was screaming. And then as it started, stopped. I could look through the window and saw some like dust coming out of the neighboring buildings.

[Will Chalk]

That's Angelica Avila who was in the Colombian city of Manethales when a powerful earthquake struck.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

One of the cathedral towers bent over like the situation is a bit strange. We don't know like exactly what to do and the flights are canceled. The airport is collapsed.

[Will Chalk]

More than 130 people are now known to have been killed. The President's declared a state of emergency and a major search and rescue operation has started for those buried under the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings. Cali 200 km south of the epicenter, is one of the worst affected cities. Its mayor, Alejandro eda, told the BBC, the first 48 hours are critical for finding survivors.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

We're still searching around the city. It's a very large city and it was a very strong quake, but the city held up quite well. That kind of makes it a little bit harder to find the victims and the collapsed buildings because it's kind of like finding needles in a haystack right now. Our teams are very well trained. We actually sent our search and rescue team. We just sent it to Venezuela. So they have very recent experience in these types of events.

[Will Chalk]

The earthquake was felt as far away as the capital, Bogota, where our reporter Jose Carlos Cueto is based.

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

It was around 7:30 in the morning local time. I was in a taxi and then the car started moving to swing to both sides. And then the driver asked me to leave and to get safe for both of us. And then we could feel the ground shaking beneath our feet while building trees and traffic lights swayed. This region is probably with the highest seismic activity in Colombia. All of this part that is somehow crossed by the Andean mountains. Major damages as those that we're seeing in cities like Cali or Pereira.

[Will Chalk]

Yeah. And what are we hearing out of those cities? What's the picture like there?

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

Well, it's been hard to get information because communications have been down. They have been switching on and off during the whole day. Also because it's difficult to get there. The. The airports have ceased their operation. They were reestablished shortly, early in the afternoon in Cali. But in Pereira, the airport is not functioning. It has damages as well. And getting there by road, the roads are limited because it's very geographically difficult area, surrounded by mountains. So it hasn't been easy for the media to get there, hasn't been easy for the rescue teams to get there. So getting the full picture is difficult now. And when all these factors start to become more clear, people are fearing that the death toll can be higher.

[Will Chalk]

Yeah. And fresh in everyone's minds will be what happened in Venezuela earlier this year as well.

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

Yes.

[Dr. William Schaffner]

Because.

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

Well, firstly because it's closed and there are many human and cultural connections between Venezuela and Colombia. There are many Venezuelans living here. And it was very recent, that traumatic event in Venezuela that is still affecting the people on the. But for now, these two situations are not comparable when it comes to the magnitude. First of all, because Colombia hasn't been suffering the same economic crisis that Venezuela has over the last decade. So let's say that the infrastructure and the rescue teams are better prepared to respond to these sort of situations. And also because of the conditions, because of the features of the earthquake, they are not the same. It was in Venezuela. It was a twin earthquake with many aftershocks. Those aftershocks haven't felt in the same way in Colombia. Having more than 100 dead people is a serious situation, though it's not expected to reach the level of Thousands, more than 6,000 that Venezuela has already.

[Will Chalk]

Jose Carlos Cueto there from BBC Mundo, speaking to me from the Colombian capital, Bogota. Let's bring you a story out of Turkey next, where the parliament has approved the law aimed at ending more than four decades of conflict with the Kurdish militant group, the pkk. The the legislation will allow some former fighters to return to civilian life and suspend prosecutions or prison sentences for others. The group announced last year that it planned to lay down its arms and disband. But the PKK's jailed leader, Abdullah Erdilan, does not appear to be among those who could be freed. Our senior international correspondent Ola Guerin told me why this was happening now.

[Orla Guerin]

Well, I think this is connected very much with the electoral timetable and ambitions of the Turkish leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdog. It's widely known and understood here that he would like to run for a third term as president. He's constitutionally barred from doing that, and his current term is due to expire in 2028. Now, there's only two ways around this for him. Either he amends the constitution or he calls early elections. To do either of those things, he needs the support of pro Kurdish parties in parliament. The numbers simply don't stack up without them. That said, there has been a peace process underway since 2024. Contacts have been going on between the PKK and the government. Last year, the jailed leader of the pkk, Abdullah Erdilan, publicly called for the organization to disband and it agreed to do that. Kurdish politicians are saying, look, our long standing demands for political rights, cultural autonomy, all of those things still stand and have not yet been resolved.

[Will Chalk]

But does the fact that the PKK's leader, as you mentioned, Abdullah Erdilan, he's not part of this deal. Does that make it a bit less meaningful?

[Orla Guerin]

He's part of it in the sense that he has strongly backed it, most recently a few days ago in a message sent from his prison cell. However, at the moment at least, he will not benefit from any of the measures, which include things like a suspension of jail terms for people convicted of more minor offences Things like membership of the PKK or aiding the pkk. Arjalan himself is serving an aggravated life sentence, so he doesn't qualify for any of these current relaxations, if you like. But there is speculation here that that could change in the future.

[Will Chalk]

And what will this mean for ordinary Kurdish people in Turkey?

[Orla Guerin]

For many, I think there will be a sense of relief. I think there will also for some be a sense of disappointment. You'll have to remember that the PKK insurgency began as far back as 1984 and the demand at that stage was for an autonomous Kurdish state in the southeast of Turkey. Now that has not been realized. The conflict went on for 40 years. There were more than 40,000 people kill, most of them PKK fighters and Kurdish civilians. And having spoken to people in the Kurdish areas last year when the PKK was being disbanded, feelings were mixed. Some said, look, peace has to come. This is a price worth paying. We have to do a deal now. We haven't won by using weapons. Others felt that the PKK were giving up their weapons and their organization and not getting enough in return. But I think across Turkey there is a sense of caution, I would say, because past peace processes have failed. What we are seeing now is an attempt to provide a strong legislative framework to keep this one going.

[Will Chalk]

So Senior international correspondent Orla Guerin. The authorities in China say there's been a rise in marriage fraud, with scammers increasingly targeting single men desperate to find a wife. The BBC has been to the heart of the so called flash marriage industry, where matchmaking agencies arrange weddings in a matter of days. The industry has sprung up in seemingly perfect conditions. The country has a huge male to female gender imbalance and men are willing to spend big to find a wife. As our China correspondent Laura Bicker reports, this scam is a symptom of a wider demographic crisis facing the country.

[Laura Bicker]

This music signifies the start of what appears to be a love story. Alongside the romantic soundtrack, 37 year old Wang Zhuang is pictured smiling and holding hands with his fiance after handing over most of his life savings to a matchmaking agency. How many women did you meet before you chose your bride?

[Wang Zhuang]

I met seven. Thus was the ace. I chose her. Each meeting lasts about eight to 10 minutes. You see one person around four to five times.

[Laura Bicker]

How long after that meeting were you married?

[Wang Zhuang]

About three or four days.

[Laura Bicker]

That's why they call this a flash marriage, a booming industry in China. During their wedding ceremony, the pair pledged to build a new life. He also handed her thousands of pounds as a bride price. A traditional Chinese marriage custom. It wasn't long before he realized even her age was fake. He discovered she'd been married three times, had three kids and was deeply in debt.

[Wang Zhuang]

When this happens, you feel extremely anxious. I've spent my life's savings. The total damage is close to US$74,000. My parents blame me. I cannot work, I cannot sleep.

[Laura Bicker]

He went back to confront the matchmaking firm, only to find the building empty. They too had disappeared with his money. We toured a warren of officers, trying to find an agency to talk to us. One eventually agreed.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Of course, gay marriages affect us. We have an old saying, one speck of dirt ruins a whole pot of soup. We often attend meetings by the local police. If any company commits fraud, it will show the legal responsibilities.

[Laura Bicker]

So after our matchmaker interview, one of his colleagues was not pleased and we had to leave quite quickly. Although he says he is a legitimate business owner, that he's there to try to match as many people as possible and to ensure that his clients or have some kind of background check. This is an industry where it's difficult to know, especially after just a few days, who you're marrying. The agencies springing up in Guizhou are a symptom of a much bigger problem. We've come to the countryside to get an idea of the scale of the problem. China is facing a demographic crisis. Up until 10 years ago, parents were only allowed to have one one child, and there was a preference for boys. That has left around 30 million men looking for a wife in this country. That's the equivalent of the entire male population of the UK remaining a bachelor. The party is trying to get more people to get married, trying to get more people to have children, but it's having a limited effect. Women in China can also afford to to be choosy and demand a higher bride price. In China, the family line runs through the men of the household. It's seen as a family duty to get married and have children. But this scam has left Wanzhuang with few options.

[Wang Zhuang]

I don't know whether I can get married after what happened. I wasn't a good catch and I spent all my money. I won't consider getting married again.

[Laura Bicker]

Fewer marriages mean fewer children At a time when China's population is shrinking. It's a shift that's reshaping society and creating a challenge the Communist Party is struggling to overcome.

[Will Chalk]

Laura Bicker with that report from China now, are you really a pet owner? If you haven't looked at your pet and thought, I wonder what they're thinking? Well, scientists in Austria think they're getting closer to an answer. They say they've worked out what's going on inside a dog's br when it sees a human smiling or scowling. The team hope it will help people communicate better with their animals. Our science correspondent Victoria Gill has the story.

[Victoria Gill]

A total of 14 dogs were involved in the study. Six good boys and eight good girls, all trained to sit very still in a brain scanner. While they were showing pictures of people's faces. Photos of smiling human faces of complete strangers made an area of the dog's brain associated with reward light up with activity. That reward circuitry is the part of the brain that's activated when we enjoy and remember good things like tasty food or praise. In terms of our own human brains, we often refer to this activation as a dopamine hit that's triggered by winning a game or even receiving a positive comment on a social media post. And in previous research on dogs, that same brain circuitry was activated when they anticipated a tasty snack or smelled a familiar person. So this study shows, scientists say that a human smile is a positive, rewarding thing for a dog. The project was led by researchers at the University of Vienna. And one of the lead scientists, Raul Hernandez Perez, says it's part of an ongoing series of studies that's showing how life with humans has reshaped the brains of our canine companions.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

The dog brain solves the problem of

[Jose Carlos Cueto]

understanding emotions in others in a way that cannot be found in other similar animals. So the dog brain has certain capacity.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

They evolved something that makes them really good at understanding others.

[Victoria Gill]

Another lead scientist on the study, Laura Quire, says the insights could even help us to understand and communicate better with

[Reporter/Interviewer]

our own dogs so we can learn

[Laura Bicker]

from them and we can also be more aware about how they are expressing their emotions. And I think if we are aware of this, the relationship will improve.

[Victoria Gill]

One simple thing you can do to improve that relationship, smile more at your dog.

[Will Chalk]

You heard it here first. Smile at your dog. Victoria Gill. With that report

[Laura Bicker]

to come, Dobby's grave is a permanent reminder of how important he is to us as the fans.

[Will Chalk]

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[Will Chalk]

This is the global News podcast. President Trump has signed an order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and also recommends administering mumps, measles and rubella or MMR shots in separate doses. The US President repeated unfounded claims linking vaccines with autism. Here is just a bit of his address in the Oval Office.

[Dr. William Schaffner]

So the MMR we want to have separate, separate visits, separate times, the vaccine being broken into three separate single doses and Vaccines being administered in separate visits. For example, at one year you should have five separate visits for vaccines rather than getting them all in the same day. And I saw this early on and I've seen proof of it where they have a vaccination that looks like the size of a, a bottle of soda poured into a little child's body. And bad things happen in many cases, in too many cases, because this is an explosion, this is an epidemic.

[Will Chalk]

The reaction from the medical community has been strong. For a flavor of it, here is Dr. William Schaffner, who's professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical center in Nashville, speaking to the BBC's Steve Lai.

[Dr. William Schaffner]

I think there is no scientific reason to that. There are only downsides. Remember, each of these elements in the shots, measles, mumps and repella, requires two inoculations. So we'll go from two to six. So the child will have, instead of two, jabs will have six. And there will be a number of different visits harder to keep track of by the parents and the providers. It will cost more. There's no scientific benefit to it at all. Autism was mentioned and that concept has been proven many times over. Scientifically, there is no relationship between vaccines and autism. I can assure you viewers of that. 100%.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you next, actually. I mean, these autism suggestions seem to persist. Just break down to us what the research actually shows.

[Dr. William Schaffner]

There have been up to 40 different studies done by different investigators in different countries in different populations and all have come out with the same answer. There is no relationship between vaccines and autism. So that is now a secure, scientific, comfortable fact and we can reassure parents that there is no relationship. Vaccines prevent serious disease. They do not cause autism.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

So what's your advice then to parents that may have doubts about getting their children vaccinated for these three things, these mumps, measles and rubella.

[Dr. William Schaffner]

There are many doubts and many questions. Please ask your provider, your doctor and if you want to go to a source, go to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The pediatricians in our country couldn't possibly recommend something that's bad for children. They recommend a comprehensive vaccination schedule, including MMR.

[Will Chalk]

Dr. William Schaffner talking to my colleague Steve Lai, onto a story from here in the UK that is dominating many of the newspaper front pages. A dinghy carrying 230 migrants on it crossing the channel from France to England. And that sets a new record for the number of people making the journey in a single boat. Those pictures show passengers packed onto the 15 meter boat. Many are dangling their legs into the water. Both British and French authorities have condemned it. Our correspondent Simon Jones is at the British port of Dover.

[Simon Jones]

Those involved in the rescue operation said they had never seen anything like it before. More than 230 people, including 20 children in one inflatable boat attempting to cross the world's busiest shipping lane. The dinghy set off from northern France. As it approached the beach near Berc, scores and scores of migrants ran from the dunes into the sea to clamber on board. Callum Blades is from the charity Samphar, which supports migrants in Dover.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

When you look at the amount of people that are on it, it's squashed together and fearful for their lives.

[Simon Jones]

I think there is maybe a sense

[Reporter/Interviewer]

of terror, I suppose, especially as this is kind of a last ditch attempt really. It's very dangerous. The fact is a lot of these rafts and dinghies that we sort of encounter are botched together. They're not obviously regulated.

[Simon Jones]

The boat was being shadowed by the French authorities who felt it was too dangerous to attempt to stop such an overloaded vessel at sea. Once the migrants reached UK waters, they were picked up by the border force and taken to Dover. The so called small boats have been getting much bigger over the years. When the crossings began in earnest in 2018, there was an average of seven people per boat. Last year that rose to more than 60. Earlier this month, 173 people had to be rescued from a single boat which caught fire mid Channel. Rob Laurie, a former soldier turned aid worker who works on BBC podcasts about migration, says there's really only one main reason for the smugglers change in tactics.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Bottom line, money. That's all it is, it's money. If 30 people go overboard on that boat, make no mistake, the smugglers will disappear for a while, it'll all come down, they'll come back and they make more money.

[Will Chalk]

That report was by Simon Jones. If you're lucky enough to have seen the Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, you'll know it's one of the natural wonders of the world. But inevitably with tourists comes development and there's growing concern this is having an unintended impact on the local wildlife. Isa Jacobson reports from the nearby Zambian city of Livingston.

[Isa Jacobson]

Late at night, Chamungulwa Chambul is on patrol on the edge of the peaceful town of Livingston, the tourist capital of Zambia, which lies just a few miles from the Victoria Falls and its national park. He warns locals to be clear, careful, not because of Criminals. But because of elephants, I've told him

[Local Resident]

it's not really safe for you to be moving in the night.

[Isa Jacobson]

He works for the Conservation and Tourism Society, a local group which promotes coexistence between communities and wildlife. In recent years, elephants have been coming into the city that's home to around 200,000 people to raid gardens and feed on food waste. There's an elephant. Oh, wow, it's gone. Recent severe droughts have forced animals to seek food in unusual places. But experts say another key driver is increased development around the town and around the Victoria Falls, which is cut across the traditional routes used by elephants as they migrate between neighboring Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.

[Local Resident]

Elephants never used to come in our communities, but they keep on building lodges, give out land just like that. Elephants almost do not have enough place or space for them to feed. They end up visiting those communities to spoil their gardens, cause damages of houses. You know, people get angry.

[Isa Jacobson]

As a result, elephants get a hostile reception. Local gangs have even turned elephant chasing into a sport, but it can have deadly consequences. At least three people from town have been killed in elephant encounters so far this year.

[Local Resident]

They would throw stones on them. They even end up following elephants to the game park. I would say they lack knowledge in our communities.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

We told them to say, when you see elephants coming in the community and everything, don't throw stones on them, don't scream, chase them or anything. We just need to stay inside.

[Isa Jacobson]

Teresa Masheba lives in Damboa, a neighbourhood of Livingston that has expanded right up to the edge of the national park. She collaborates with the Zambian Wildlife Department to help communities adapt to this new reality.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

So you'll find that each household has mango trees. Then when elephants start coming looking for food, they always pluck big branches.

[Isa Jacobson]

Maureen lives just a couple of meters from the fence with her young family.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

So she's saying elephant problems are not something that's ending anytime soon. So if they can have anywhere to go, they would rather relocate to another safe place.

[Isa Jacobson]

Coexistence can be a hard sell. So on his night patrol, Chamu has a special job. He tries to coax elephants away from hostile areas. He shows that gentleness and understanding really can work. There's some elephants. Oh, wow. So there are houses behind us and elephants are right here feeding in the grass. It's only a few meters away from us. Leaning out the window, Chamu works his magic.

[Local Resident]

Come on, guys, it's time to go.

[Isa Jacobson]

And then, incredibly, these massive animals respond to his words and slowly trundle across the road. He guides them Away back towards the national park. This nightly challenge is unlikely to end. For in reality, the pressure for development of this landscape is only going to grow. But Chamu hopes people will find a way to share this special land.

[Local Resident]

My prayer always is these animals. They can just live freely. Maybe in the next five years, people's mindset will definitely change.

[Will Chalk]

That report was by Isa Jacobson. Right, before we go, a fictional scene from a film.

[Reporter/Interviewer]

Dobby is happy to be with you, his friend,

[Isa Jacobson]

Harry Potter.

[Will Chalk]

Yet the place where that scene, the death of Dobby the house elf in the Harry Potter films was shot has become a real life pilgrimage location for fans. So much so that when a multi million dollar underground cable project threatened the future of Dobby's fictional resting place in Pembrokeshire in Wales, hundreds lobbied the company to change its plans. Victoria Maclean is a Harry Potter superfan who lives close to the memorial. She spoke to Regini Vaijanathan.

[Laura Bicker]

It's like a homage where people can come and say goodbye to an incredibly loved fictional character from the Harry Potter series. The beach itself, Freshwater west, is very much a natural been left alone beach. It's not a typical tourist attraction. There are no shops selling Welsh merchandise. There are no kind of restaurants or bars. It is literally a natural beach with beautiful sand dunes that the producers of Harry Potter decided that was going to be the final resting place of Dobby the house elf. And it's become a makeshift grave for Dobby, a memorial site for him. Yes, it has. He was buried there. He died on the beach during Deathly Hallows Part 1 at the end of the film. Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen Harry Potter. And he was buried at Shell Cottage. Harry wanted, instead of using magic to create his, Harry wanted to do it himself and dig it by hand. The reason this has all become a new story is because they wanted to build undersea cables in the area. And you and other fans managed to stop that because Dobby's grave was going to be in its path, is that right? Yes. Incredibly, the person who actually did all the surveying didn't know who Dobby was. Fair enough. And there was hundreds of calls made to the company asking them, please do not do this to Dobby's grave because apparently it was going to go directly under Dobby's grave. Which again is quite a shock anyway, because even if Dobby's grave wasn't there, I think it would have spoiled what is naturally a very beautiful beach. But we stopped it. I mean, how many fictional characters do you know that that's happened to, could his grave not have been moved somewhere close by? Even so, this important project could go ahead. I don't think so. When you look at the site there is so many hand painted rocks there, monuments to Dobby people. They go there and they feel close to these characters and it's probably one of the many places in the UK where you don't have to pay for entrance to see something as important in the stories. So Dobby's grave is a permanent reminder of how important he is to us as the fans.

[Will Chalk]

Harry Potter super fan there. Victoria Maclean that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [e-mail] we're also on X at BBC World Service. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Chris Murphy. The producer was Emma Joseph. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Will Chalk. Until next time. Goodbye.

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