Summary

In recent years, the Cirad and CNRS have established road counts in Hwange National Park (HNP) and Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe. Contacts exist between wildlife and domestic animals at the edge and inside these two parks. These contacts can lead to disease transmission between wildlife and domestic animals. We wanted to see if road counts could highlight direct and indirect contacts between domestic animals and wildlife at the edge and inside HNP and GNP. For this purpose, we have estimated wild and domestic animals’ densities and have calculated Kilometric Index (KI) based on road counts data collected in GNP and its periphery between 2009 and 2013. We have also analysed data collected in May 2014 in Main Camp, in HNP. Our results indicate that few domestic animals have been observed in GNP and that few wild animals have been observed in peripheric areas. No wild animal has been seen with or near domestic animals. No (direct or indirect) contact has been formally demonstrated by our study. The road counts technique doesn’t seem to be the best technique to highlight contacts between domestic animals and wildlife. However, this technique could provide some data about indirect potentially infectious contacts between domestic animals and wildlife.