SWAKOPMUND – Farmers in the Daures constituency in the Erongo Region, received N$250 000 from the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management project (NACOMA) to use in starting a human/wildlife conflict initiative that will help deal with stray elephant invasions.
Daures consituency councillor Ernst Katjiku received the money on behalf of the constituency last week during a gala dinner that was held to source funds by Nacoma. The gala dinner took place in Swakopmund. For many years farmers in the constituency have been enduring the invasion of elephants that have destroyed settlements and water points. The elephants stray into the settlement mainly in search of water.
According to the technical advisor and deputy project manager of Nacoma, Ignatius Kauvii the money is earmarked for farmers to use in devising measures to deal with the continuous elephant invasions. A series of meetings with the community, traditional leaders and councillors will be held in due course to solicit knowledge, especially that which relates to indigenous or traditional methods employed in the past by farmers to stop elephants from invading settlements. “It is known that human beings have evolved more recently compared to wildlife and the existence of pastoral community groups among elephants has not been an easy task.
This project aim to allocate all available information toward agreed measures, including awareness creation to ensure tolerance by communities to elephants in communal areas bordering conservancies in the Daures constituency,” Kauvii told New Era. The financial assistance comes in the wake of a recent petition by about 1 000 residents of the Ozondati settlement to the Governor of the Erongo Region, Cleophas Mutjavikua to facilitate the removal of close to 40 marauding elephants from their settlement. Ozondati is situated about 40 kilometres from Omatjete in the Erongo Region and about 100 kilometres from Omaruru. Last week a traditional councillor from Ozondati, Fabianus Uaseuapuania, told New Era that the constant invasion of elephants at the settlement is of great concern to the farming community.
He also said that marauding elephants destroy vital water infrastructure in the area. Residents of Ozondati also expressed fear for their lives due to the menace posed by the marauding jumbos. It is believed that the elephants entering Ozondati, escape from the Etosha National Park through unfenced parts in the Khorixas area in the Kunene Region. According to councillor Katjiku, the invasion of elephants in the constituency is a growing concern, since the elephants not only destroy vegetation in the area, but also deplete scarce water resources meant for livestock.
By Eveline de Klerk