Victoria Falls: An environment on the edge

Summary

Podcast Summary: Victoria Falls – An Environment on the Edge

Podcast: The Documentary Podcast (BBC World Service)
Host: Isa Jacobson
Date: August 11, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode dives into the mounting pressures on Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as increased tourism and urban development threaten its unique ecosystem. It explores the complex interplay between economic needs, conservation efforts, and the challenges of human-wildlife coexistence—particularly involving elephants—through firsthand accounts from community members, activists, and government officials.

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Main Theme and Purpose

The episode explores how Victoria Falls, one of the world’s most renowned natural wonders straddling Zambia and Zimbabwe, faces environmental stress from tourism, development, and changing climate conditions. The story is told through the perspectives of local residents, conservationists, government officials, and visiting tourists, highlighting the delicate balance between economic development and ecological preservation.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Human-Elephant Conflict in Livingstone

• Night Patrols Against Elephant Intrusion

  • Zambians in Livingstone now patrol at night, not to protect against crime, but to keep elephants away from residential and garden areas.
  • Elephants, driven by food scarcity and habitat loss due to development, are increasingly entering towns, resulting in deadly encounters.

• Cultural Shifts and Youth Gangs

  • Youths sometimes provoke elephants for initiation “games,” indicating gaps in wildlife education.
  • Quote (Chamu, Elephant Whisperer, 02:59):
    “If you want to join their group, you are supposed to touch a tail of an Elephant, I would say they lack knowledge in our communities.”

• Environmental Causes

  • Severe droughts and the shrinking of ancient migration corridors by ongoing hotel and lodge construction force elephants into conflict zones.
  • Quote (Chamu, 04:01):
    “These elephants corridors, the place where these animals can feed from is getting small and smaller... At the end, you find to say elephants or these animals do not have enough place or space for them to fit.”

2. Tourism vs. Conservation: The Development Dilemma

• UNESCO Status Under Threat

  • The falls’ World Heritage designation is at risk due to encroaching development on both sides of the border.
  • Quote (Larry Norton, Artist/Activist, 08:22):
    “If this place ends up with hotels everywhere, buildings, construction... it loses what UNESCO referred to as the outstanding universal value.”

• Legal Battles and Precedents

  • Larry Norton describes his fight against illegal construction, fearing “small” developments will set precedent for larger projects.
  • (07:28):
    “The lease is given to a small structure. It then grows and grows and grows.”

• Government Position

  • Zambian officials highlight the economic benefits and job creation from carefully located developments, arguing for a balanced approach.
  • Quote (Evans Mbanga, Ministry of Tourism, 14:47):
    “It's a balance of what we want to conserve, but also in terms of economic beneficiation that comes to our people.”

3. Voices from the Community and Tourists

• Tourists’ Perspectives

  • Many tourists are amazed by the falls’ wildness and caution against overdevelopment:
    “I was even a bit not annoyed, but the noise of the helicopters, I didn't really like that because people are coming.” (Gift, Community Guide, 10:48)
  • Others see a need for more accommodation, reflecting the tension between maintaining wildness and meeting demand.

• Local Economic Needs

  • Tourism is vital for both countries’ economies, providing jobs, but there’s fear among locals that rapid development will lock them out of accessing their own heritage.
  • Quote (Namo Chuma, Environment Africa, 12:41):
    “The future is scary, particularly in terms of the pressure for development around the falls...”

4. Living on the Edge: Community-Wildlife Dynamics

• Encroaching Communities and Weak Barriers
  • Rapid residential expansion brings communities right to the borders of the national parks. Fence barriers are insufficient to keep elephants out.
  • Waste management issues draw elephants into populated areas.
  • Residents now learn strategies to minimize conflict, including not startling or antagonizing elephants.
  • Quote (Gift, Community Guide, 20:05):
    “So we tell them not to throw stones to the animals... It's when they become vicious.”
• Relocation Dilemmas
  • Some residents now contemplate relocating, feeling coexistence is untenable.

5. Innovative Solutions and Hope for Coexistence

• Gentle Deterrence and Education
  • “The Elephant Whisperer,” Chamu, uses calm, non-threatening tactics to lead elephants safely out of urban areas.
    (Chamu, 23:52):
    “Come on guys, it's time to go... There you go. Keep moving guys. There you go.”
  • Nighttime “urban safaris” and river cruises are organized for communities to foster appreciation and economic opportunity from wildlife, shifting mindsets from conflict to coexistence.
• Youth Engagement
  • Training youth as guides gives them new livelihoods and helps develop respect for wildlife.
  • Quote (Gift, 28:01):
    “I was chasing elephants myself... we chase them, they chase us... But through Cats, Gift got training and is now a community guide.”

6. The Path Forward: Hard Choices and Optimism

• Sustainability at the Core
  • Both conservationists and officials emphasize the importance of ensuring locals benefit from tourism without destroying the attraction.
  • Quote (Chamu, Elephant Whisperer, 30:13):
    “My prayer always is these animals, they can just live freely... maybe in the next five years, you know, people's mindset will definitely going to change.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:59 | Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)| “I would say they lack knowledge in our communities.” | | 04:01 | Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)| “These elephants corridors... is getting small and smaller... they end up visiting those communities, you know, causing damages.” | | 08:22 | Larry Norton | “If this place ends up with hotels everywhere... it loses what UNESCO referred to the outstanding universal value.” | | 14:47 | Evans Mbanga | “It's a balance of what we want to conserve, but also in terms of economic beneficiation that comes to our people.” | | 20:05 | Gift (Community Guide) | “So we tell them not to throw stones to the animals if they start chasing them. It's when they become vicious.” | | 23:52 | Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)| “Come on guys, it's time to go. There you go. There you go...” | | 28:01 | Gift (Community Guide) | “I was chasing elephants myself...we chase them, they chase us, chase them, they chase us.” | | 30:13 | Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)| “My prayer always is these animals, they can just live freely...people's mindset will definitely going to change.” |

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 01:22 – 05:42: Introduction to the Livingstone community’s elephant patrols and the underlying causes of elephant intrusions.
• 05:57 – 10:01: Artist Larry Norton paints a picture of the falls and explains his campaign against inappropriate development.
• 11:45 – 13:26: Economic dependence on tourism; locals and NGOs discuss the need for balance and their fears for the future.
• 14:06 – 17:25: Government perspective on development, eco-economic balancing, and the importance of Livingstone as a tourism hub.
• 17:55 – 20:42: Residents discuss expanding communities, ineffective barriers, and escalating wildlife encounters.
• 22:30 – 24:45: Chamu demonstrates peaceful elephant deterrence in action.
• 27:20 – 29:45: Innovative community projects and changing youthful attitudes toward elephants.
• 30:06 – 30:26: Hopes for the future; concluding reflections.

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Tone and Language

The tone alternates between urgent, hopeful, and pragmatic. The words of locals and experts are presented with authenticity, painting a vivid picture of both the beauty and fragility of Victoria Falls and the difficult choices that lie ahead.

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Conclusion

Victoria Falls stands at a crossroads: the local economy needs tourism and development, but unchecked growth and weak planning risk destroying the very nature that draws travelers from all over the world. Through stories of conflict, compromise, and creative solutions—paired with evocative sounds and voices from the heart of the Zambezi—the episode delivers a timely meditation on coexistence, stewardship, and the power of local action to shape the future of one of earth’s greatest natural treasures.

Transcript

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[Isa Jacobson]

Welcome to to the documentary podcast from the BBC World Service. Night has fallen and a team of Zambians are patrolling the dark streets on the edge of the peaceful town of Livingston, the tourist capital of Zambia in Southern Africa, which lies just a few kilometers from the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

And I've told them it's not really safe for you to be moving in the night. Please let it be your last time moving in the night. Then he said, okay, we don't advise people, you know to use this area. You're trying to say at least before 6pm try by all means to be at your houses.

[Isa Jacobson]

But they're not worried about criminals. They're looking for elephants. There's an elephant. Oh wow, it's gone. In recent years, elephants have been coming into the outskirts of the town to raid people's gardens and feast on food waste dumped around the city. It's led to deadly encounters with residents. People have actually died this year from

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

I think I would say four deaths.

[Isa Jacobson]

Chamunolwa Chambo is the lead driver for the Emergency Response team created by the Conservation and Tourism Society, or cats, a local non profit organization which aims to promote coexistence between communities and wildlife.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Elephants are one of the best animals that are very gentle.

[Isa Jacobson]

So you think it's human behavior that's basically causing them to attack?

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Yeah, more especially in our communities. You know they would throw stones on them. There are these gangs whereby they even end up following elephants to the game park. If you want to join their group, you are supposed to touch a tail of an Elephant, I would say they lack knowledge in our communities.

[Isa Jacobson]

Is that because the Zambians living in Livingston and around aren't used to elephants?

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Yeah, elephants never used to come in our communities.

[Isa Jacobson]

So why are they coming into town? Over decades, Zambia's elephant population was decimated by poaching. More recently, their numbers have been growing again, helped by the ban on ivory. And though there are national parks nearby, experts say that recent severe droughts have forced animals to seek food in unusual places to which they still return. But another key driver is increased development around the town and the falls, which has cut across old feeding grounds and routes used by elephants as they migrate from neighboring Zimbabwe and Botswana to Zambia.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

These elephants corridors, the place where these animals can feed from is getting small and smaller and they keep on building lodges, hotels. They give out land just like that. At the end, you find to say elephants or these animals do not have enough place or space for them to fit. They end up visiting those communities, you know, causing damages.

[Isa Jacobson]

So there is something being built here on the right hand side?

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Yeah, there is, yeah.

[Isa Jacobson]

But it'll create another blockage.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Yeah. So this place was one of the corridors that elephants would stay or eat or graze from.

[Isa Jacobson]

This is just one aspect of a growing debate about the management of the Victoria Falls. How to balance tourism, development and the need for jobs with the preservation of the unique environment which surrounds one of Africa's most famous attractions. I'm Isa Jacobson and this is Assignment. That incredible sound you can hear, that San Nurosal is the sound of the Victoria Falls here on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa. By volume, it is the largest waterfall in the world. From here I can see the top of the falls and the Zambezi river, flanked by forests, driving a massive curtain of water over the rocky precipice. A mile or nearly 2km wide, down a hundred meter drop into a churning torrent below. Right now, standing here, I'm struck by the pristine beauty of this place. But there are concerns that all that could change.

[Larry Norton]

It's a winter's day, beautiful blue sky, and the spray from high water is blowing towards us. And through the spray we can see the silhouette of the knife edge. And behind that is the mystery of Mozi Atunya, the Victoria Falls, the smoke that thunders.

[Isa Jacobson]

Larry Norton is a Zimbabwean artist. I meet him on the old bridge which links the two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and provides a stunning view of the falls.

[Larry Norton]

This extraordinary, powerful place that's had such spiritual, emotional meaning to every person in Zambia and Zimbabwe. It's a place we all own inside ourselves and we have to protect it.

[Isa Jacobson]

Larry has been fighting a four year legal battle taking on the Zimbabwean government and developers to stop the construction of a restaurant on the Zimbabwean side next to the falls, which he argues contravenes a ban on permanent construction in the core of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Zimbabwean authorities reject this. The restaurant has since been built. He's now being countersued for US$2 million for defamation by the restaurant's operators. Larry says in recent months he's also been visited by Zimbabwean security officers. But he's determined to keep on fighting.

[Larry Norton]

You look at what you're looking on there, it's absolutely incredible. And the way things work, we all know it starts with a small thing and it grows many of these things. The lease is given to a small structure. It then grows and grows and grows. So our concern is that the precedent will lead to massive development. We've seen it our whole life.

[Isa Jacobson]

The World Heritage Site around the falls is divided into a core area close to the falls and a buffer zone, each with their own restrictions on construction. UNESCO has in recent years expressed real concern about building around the falls on both sides of the border, even saying that over development could potentially lead to the withdrawal of the falls status as a World Heritage Site.

[Larry Norton]

If this place ends up with hotels everywhere, buildings, construction. If you look onto the falls and there's millions of people running around on the islands and boats going backwards and forth, it loses what UNESCO referred to the outstanding universal value. And that's an intrinsic thing. It's hard to describe, but it's what you see in front of you, what we respond to in our soul as human beings is wilderness. And how can we not understand this? How can the ministers not understand this? How can the ministers not fight for this?

[Isa Jacobson]

Well, you've got two economies that rely heavily on tourism and there is so much unemployment. So where is the balance in that?

[Larry Norton]

It's a very good point that you raise. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't develop Zambia and Zimbabwe. We critically need development and growth and employment. But let's look after the thing that's going to bring people here. It's just the most incredible, magical place, a Garden of Eden. Here you have something of such value. But if you built hotels right up to the lips of the falls, that's gone. And once it's gone, it's gone. Those tourists are not coming. And the promises of employment and education that you've made cannot be fulfilled. The key to making this work and providing all of that is in protecting it. And that applies to both Zambia and Zimbabwe. These are sacred sites and I'll fight like hell to look after this because my instincts tell me what's coming.

[Isa Jacobson]

Currently around half a million visitors come to the falls each year. For tourists, there's a lot to do here. There's canoeing, river rafting, kayaking, bungee jumping. You can take a helicopter or microlight ride above the falls and you can also go on safari drives. It draws visitors from around the world. It was absolutely amazing. Totally see why. It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It's absolutely incredible. You have to experience it, you have to go through them. And we've been to the other two falls as well, Igasu and Niagara. I think this one tops it. The whole experience.

[Theresa Mashiba]

This still feels like the Africa we

[Isa Jacobson]

think about, you know, the bushland and the red mud.

[Theresa Mashiba]

Yeah, it's more of the experiences.

[Isa Jacobson]

Is that a selling point?

[Evans Mbanga]

Yeah.

[Isa Jacobson]

Would you like to see more accommodation, more hotels?

[Gift (Community Guide)]

I would say less. I was even a bit not annoyed, but the noise of the helicopters, I didn't really like that because people are coming.

[Theresa Mashiba]

So we need expansion so that it attracts more people.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

If we have got these major events.

[Namo Chuma]

Livingstone being a tourist capital of Zambia, we find that people still struggle finding space where to sleep. So we really need a lot of accommodations.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Here are my local guys.

[Isa Jacobson]

From a glance of you, this is what they want to come here to experience.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Not much development like the Niagara Falls

[Isa Jacobson]

where all there are buildings all over the place.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

I think we still have to preserve

[Isa Jacobson]

it as it is.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Our grandfathers were here thousand years ago.

[Isa Jacobson]

They should keep it as it is. Tourists stay on both sides of the border and the Falls Heritage site is jointly managed by both Zimbabwe and Zambia. On the Zambian side, there's pressure to develop too.

[Namo Chuma]

We do know that communities depend on tourism for them to get their jobs, for them to feed their families, to send their kids to school. There's an influx of tourists from Europe who love to come and enjoy the falls. But this should be done in such a way that we don't destroy the site itself. We don't over develop it so that generations that will come after us will be able to enjoy the view that we are enjoying today.

[Isa Jacobson]

Namo Chuma is from the local ngo, Environment Africa, which promotes sustainability, sustainability in the region. He meets us at the Dry Manzi picnic site, one of the last spots along the river open to the public. And where do you see the future? What does the future look like to you?

[Namo Chuma]

The future is scary, particularly in terms of the pressure for development around the falls. Both Zimbabwe and Zambia, I think our governments should to take very strong positions to make sure that developments are taken away further away from the core. Then people can just drive to go and see the falls. But I see a lot of pressure over the coming years for developers wanting to get as close as possible to the falls. I see a future where even places like this one where we are standing at some point to be given to a private investor, put a lodge and then local Zambians will not have access to come and enjoy the beauty of their own country.

[Isa Jacobson]

For the environment, the wildlife and the tourism industry, there is the question of climate change. Water levels in the Zambezi have declined, but at the moment, after good recent rains, it's flowing fast over the rapids. And there are plans for a joint hydroelectric dam about 50 kilometres downriver. This drive for growth has also led to a new coal fired power station being built on the Zambian side, not too far from the falls. For Zambia, where youth unemployment is high growing, the tourist industry is crucial. After copper mining and agriculture, it's the biggest sector of the economy. The need to compete with Zimbabwe for tourist dollars is real.

[Evans Mbanga]

The falls is much more than just a natural wonder. It is one of Zambia's greatest economic assets and a catalyst for sustainable national development.

[Isa Jacobson]

Evans Mbanga is the Permanent Secretary at Zambia's Ministry of Tourism. We meet at a new luxury resort on the Zambezi, built with government money. A few kilometres upriver from the falls in the heritage site's buffer zone. It reportedly has created 1,500 jobs. A compelling argument for development. But its construction did not go down well with UNESCO nor with environmentalists concerned it was blocking elephant migration corridors.

[Evans Mbanga]

It's a balance of what we want to conserve, but also in terms of economic beneficiation that comes to our people. And today I'll tell you that Zambia is far much better off than when we we were. So whatever we do, we abide by the laws of, you know, the country. Yes, we go to UNESCO, there's a lot of consultation, but I think that we are not doing things outside or to destroy our very site. Not at all. And I think that even the development that has happened here, I would like to see somebody who would say that this is what you've done. Yes, there was the element of saying that this is an elephant corridor, but elephants still roam around this very corridor. But the benefit that has come to the economy and to the people around this place who stay very close to the falls is phenomenal because we've spoken

[Isa Jacobson]

to a lot of people, both Zambians and foreign tourists, who say they, they want to see it pristine.

[Evans Mbanga]

Yes, they want it pristine. But those who are advancing such conversations need to face reality as well, that it's not about just pristineness, but what do you do to be able to make sure that the people that live around there benefit? It's a balancing act.

[Isa Jacobson]

So what next? There are parts of the heritage site that are currently earmarked as zones for sustainable development. But he says their focus is also on harnessing the potential of the nearby town of Livingston, which lies just 10 minutes drive from the falls.

[Evans Mbanga]

There are so many, of course, iconic hotels and lodges that want to come into here, you know, and say, no, we just want to be closer to the falls. No, I think as government we say no, we can maintain the falls, but you can be able to build, buy off some of the assets around in town because it's very near. And regardless whether you've slept in town or you've slept closer to the falls, you know, the experience is the same. So for me there is value to maintain the falls in its pristine nature around those areas, but also we need to look at now other areas where development can actually go, but without forgetting the communities that really live around here.

[Isa Jacobson]

Livingston is a tourist capital of Zambia. It's grown to be home to around 200,000 people. A few decades ago, it was a center of manufacturing and textiles. But as its old industries died, tourism has become the lifeblood of the town. It's a tree lined, bustling place, safe, peaceful and incredibly friendly. But as it's expanded into the surrounding countryside, there's a growing recognition that people will have to develop a new relationship with the wildlife on their doorstep.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Me, I came here in 1994 when I was almost 10 years old. This area was a bush. There were no people when we came in 1994.

[Isa Jacobson]

Hamakoa Hemolonga is a community based volunteer working with the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife. I meet him in Damboa, a neighbourhood of Livingston that has grown right up to the edge of the national park.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

That time we had, the elephants were not coming in then. Even these monkeys which are troubling us, they were not coming in.

[Theresa Mashiba]

It's just a few years ago, I would say maybe two or three years ago, that's when elephants started coming in the communities.

[Isa Jacobson]

Theresa Mashiba lives nearby. She's the coordinator of the Livingston Victoria Falls International Volunteer Program, which collaborates with the parks Department.

[Theresa Mashiba]

That fence, that's demarcation between the community and the national park. Wow.

[Isa Jacobson]

It doesn't look like much protection at all.

[Theresa Mashiba]

Yeah, the fence is too light for the elephants.

[Isa Jacobson]

You can see wire mesh in between wooden poles stretching into the distance with the park on one side and houses on the other. And there is an entire community just a mere meters away from this fence.

[Theresa Mashiba]

They had six yesterday that came in this community. So you'll find that each household has mango trees. Then when elephants start coming looking for food, they always pluck big branches. Something that's bringing elephants in the community. We have poor waste management, so in the past people just dump anyhow. Then you find that elephants will be coming to the same place wanting the same food. But at least now people are slowly changing the mindset that dumping waste in places where it's supposed to be dumped.

[Isa Jacobson]

When elephants do come, people often shout bang pots, throw stones or let off fireworks to get them to leave, which can be counterproductive. Elephants have great hearing and smell but poor eyesight, so they can be easily startled by all this commotion. And a scared, panicked elephant can be dangerous.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

So we tell them not to throw stones to the animals if they start chasing them. It's when they become vicious.

[Isa Jacobson]

Maureen lives just a couple of meters from the fence with her young family. You're living very, very, very close to the national park. It must be quite scary. Do you feel like you can live with the elephants in future?

[Theresa Mashiba]

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

[Isa Jacobson]

You'd rather move than stay here. You're listening to the documentary podcast from the BBC World Service.

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[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

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[Theresa Mashiba]

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[Evans Mbanga]

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[Isa Jacobson]

I'm Isa Jacobsen, on assignment in Zambia. Some in the community would like the elephants to be gone, whatever it takes. But Zambia, unlike other countries in the region, says no to culling elephants. There are people seeking other solutions and trying to ease tensions among them. Chamu on his night patrol. Chamu has a special job.

[Evans Mbanga]

He.

[Isa Jacobson]

He tries to coax elephants away from hostile areas. He shows that gentleness and understanding really can work.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Mostly we just talk to them in a gentle voice. If they don't move in a gentle voice, then our engine rev. We just rev a little bit of the vehicle.

[Isa Jacobson]

There's some griffons, there's some elephants. Oh wow.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

So one is there.

[Isa Jacobson]

So there are houses behind us. There are buildings to the left of us. And there's an elephant right here, right here feeding in the grass. It's only a few meters away from us. And on our right, the elephants are really only a meter or two away. Leaning out the window, Chamu, the elephant whisperer works his magic.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Come on guys, it's time to go. It's time to go. There you go. There you go. Keep moving guys. There you go. There you go. No, no, no, no, no. Hey.

[Isa Jacobson]

One shows a little irritation and shakes his head at being asked to leave. Chamo gives him some room.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

Alright, they leave space for you. You can cross.

[Isa Jacobson]

And then incredibly, these massive animals respond to his words and slowly trundle across the road. He's guiding them away from a neighborhood called Cold Storage, where locals are known to harass the animals.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

So the reason why I'm pushing them on the other side, it's because when they just go to Cold Storage, then it won't be good for them.

[Isa Jacobson]

That's amazing. They're actually moving off.

[Evans Mbanga]

Yeah.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

So they're going round like that behind these buildings.

[Isa Jacobson]

Are they heading towards the park? Yeah. I've seen elephants in the bush, but I've never seen them in an urban environment before. And so to see them tonight like that, just standing on the side of the road is just surreal. The job is done for now. Coexistence is the mantra. It can be a hard situation, but there are some novel ways to get people on board. We're on a riverboat on the Zambezi, but this is a cruise with a difference. The passengers are all from communities affected by elephants. It's an outing few can afford, so it's laid on for free. The idea is to show people the wonders of being in nature and use it as an opportunity to change their minds about living with wildlife. Stanley Nyaki Chande is one of the organizers. He runs a community business unit set up by the Conservation and Tourism Society, or Cats.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Gone are the days when we. We had a park that had a game reserve where when there's no food in the park, the animals can go and cushion their feeding on the reserve. But all the reserve land has now been built. There are houses there, most of them, actually, their houses are built along the corridors. Those corridors have been used by these elephants time and memorial. So they need to understand that they are in the conflict zone and then they need to know how to coexist.

[Theresa Mashiba]

I'm Caroline and this is my first time on the river. I'm happy and it's so exciting. I'm enjoying it. It's very, very nice, like seeing some animals like hippos and the crocodiles and even to learn something about how we should be living with the animals, especially the elephants which are coming into our homes, mixing away from them, like, like not chasing them because they are so scary, but they are friendly as well. So I have to stay away from them.

[Isa Jacobson]

A key message is that there are different economic opportunities for locals that coexistence can bring. They have projects to help people raise livestock or grow crops that elephants don't eat. One community even started doing nighttime urban safaris for tourists.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

So the only way we can stop the fighting is getting them to see the benefit of the tourism and the beauty wildlife. I mean, it's just nice to watch, not to fight.

[Isa Jacobson]

They also work with local youths in these conflict zones to provide training so that they can earn money from tourism and see wildlife as a benefit, not a curse.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

I was. I was chasing elephants myself. I was chasing elephants. I Would say, me, I didn't like elephants. Each time they come out from the national park, I'll be the first one to pick a stone and then throw at them. Then we chase them, they chase us, chase them, they chase us. So it was like a game. We were just like playing because we had nothing to do at home.

[Isa Jacobson]

And how many of you were in a group doing that?

[Gift (Community Guide)]

We are 30, 40.

[Isa Jacobson]

Wow.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

A lot of youths in our community, they just stay at home doing nothing here in Livingstone or in Zambia to just find a job with.

[Isa Jacobson]

But through Cats, Gift got training and is now a community guide. He works with Chamu, the elephant whisperer and they take us into the national park, home to giraffe, hippos, elephants and white rhinos. He's come to love the wildlife here. Even the elephants, which we finally find in their natural habitat by the banks of the Zambezi.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

So you can see how the ears are moving. They are flapping. So it's just like cooling its body, the temperature. Because if they were not happy the time that we approached, they can even shake their head to warn us. But yeah, they're in a happy zone. So they are okay. Now

[Isa Jacobson]

to preserve this place, people must feel that they have a stake in it. The catch is to make sure that the jobs and development locals want do not ruin what makes the Victoria Falls attractive to so many. Change seems inevitable, but both Gift and Chamu hope people will find a way to share this special land.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

People will get to learn and they will understand the animals they will change.

[Chamu (Elephant Whisperer)]

My prayer always is these animals, they can just live freely in the next, maybe not even 10 years, maybe in the next five years. You know, people's mindset will definitely going to change.

[Gift (Community Guide)]

Yeah.

[Isa Jacobson]

This episode of Assignment was presented by me, Isa Jacobson. The producer was Alex Last. The sound mix was by Neil Churchill. The production coordinator was Gemma Ashman. The series editor is Penny Murphy. When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.