Nyagatare deploys youth guards to tackle human-wildlife conflict

Nyagatare District has deployed young volunteers to help keep wild animals away from residents, farms and businesses in areas that have repeatedly experienced wildlife-related damage.

The initiative has seen members of Nyagatare Volunteer Servers Development Cooperative assigned to patrol areas around Nyagatare town and nearby sectors, where residents have reported animals damaging crops and taking goods from people travelling along roads.

Residents in Nyagatare, Rwempasha and Tabagwe sectors say the intervention could provide a more lasting response to a problem that has affected both their livelihoods and personal safety.

Steven Kayitare, a shopkeeper in Nyagatare town, said incidents had declined since the patrols began.

“Since these guards started preventing the animals from coming into the area, they have not returned to damage my property,” he said, while calling for the patrols to continue.

Dalia Mukamuhire, a resident of Tabagwe who travels along the Nyagatare-Tabagwe road to sell goods, said people carrying produce had previously been vulnerable to attacks.

She said wild animals could grab goods such as bananas, forcing people to run and sometimes causing injuries, while crops in fields were also damaged.

The programme is being implemented through cooperation between Nyagatare District and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

Francis Safari, who heads the youth cooperative, said the guards viewed the work as both employment and a responsibility to their communities.

“We were trained on how to protect residents from the animals without putting the wildlife at risk,” he said.

The cooperative has 75 members, including 40 women and 35 men, and is also involved in other income-generating activities. RDB recently provided it with Rwf26 million to support its development activities, including the wildlife-protection programme.

Juliet Murekatete, Nyagatare’s Vice Mayor for Social Affairs, urged the youth guards to remain committed and ensure they are present in the areas where they have been assigned.

The human-wildlife conflict has also drawn attention at the national level. In July, a Senate committee called for stronger and more sustainable measures to protect communities from animals that stray from protected areas and damage property.

The new patrol system brings together community safety, wildlife protection and youth employment, as local authorities seek to reduce losses caused by animals while limiting harm to wildlife.