Rudolf Gaiseb
The government said further assessments will be made on the Chobe River site to determine necessary interventions to curb wildlife from drowning.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism stated that three such occurrences have unfolded in the past five years, with the most recent happening last week.
“It is not the government’s intention to alter the natural landscape of the river systems, as such alterations could lead to greater and other environmental harm,” line minister Indileni Daniels said in Parliament on Thursday.
Locals are currently feasting on 90 buffaloes that died in a stampede in the Kabulabula Conservancy area in the Zambezi region’s eastern floodplains last week.
The ministry authorised the meat to be distributed to local communities through conservancies.
This process was supervised by local ministry officials and members of the Namibian Police Force to ensure fairness, compliance and public order.
A herd of buffalo, fleeing a lion chase in the Chobe National Park on the Botswana side, attempted to cross the river into Namibia last Tuesday.
The herd reached the steep bank, and they fell, trampling one another, and then drowned.
Distributing the meat to the locals, Daniels warned that it is not to be sold but used for personal consumption.
“Transporting meat without permits was only permitted on 23 September 2025,” she iterated, adding that all beneficiaries must respect the regulations governing the sale and transport of game meat.
Meanwhile, the buffalo population in the northeastern part of Namibia stands at approximately 11 900.
Along with surrounding conservancies, they inhabit the eastern floodplains of the Zambezi region and the Bwabwata, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara National Parks.