KATIMA MULILO – Two men were trampled by elephants this week.
One of the elephants was declared a problem animal by the authorities, and a trophy hunting permit was issued to address the situation.
“The hunt was meant to relieve communities in the area, whose livelihoods have been affected by damage caused by elephants on their properties. The deceased was always available when the ministry needed him, especially in resolving human-wildlife conflict incidents,” said spokesperson for the environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda.
A 46-year-old man succumbed to
his injuries after being attacked by an elephant on Monday within the Ngoma area of the Zambezi region.
The deceased has been identified as Kapule Albert Kawayire from the Ngoma area.
In a separate incident on Monday, 46-year-old Gert van der Walt was trampled by a problematic elephant at the Kambangula cattle post area in the Tsandi Constituency of the Omusati region on Monday afternoon.
He was a prominent and respected professional hunter, who had hunting contracts with conservancies in the Kunene, Omusati and Oshikoto regions.
Emmanuel Koro, a Johannesburg-based international award-winning journalist, who writes independently on environmental and developmental issues in Africa, said, “It’s unfortunate that two men were trampled to death by elephants in Namibia. Once again, this shows the increase in human-wildlife-conflict, as Namibia’s elephant population continues to grow.
“We have always argued in southern Africa that we have an elephant overpopulation crisis, and the communities that co-exist with elephants and other wildlife species must benefit from them as a way of incentivising elephant and wildlife conservation. But the Western animal rights’ fundraising industry NGOs that profit from telling lies that southern countries are not elephant-overpopulated continue with their lies that this is the reason why we should not hunt wildlife animals, including elephants. Yet, southern African countries, including Namibia, where two innocent men were killed by elephants, is elephant-overpopulated. Trade – not aid – will save Namibia’s elephants.”
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has extended its condolences to the families of the two men.
Kawayire was a staff member of the ministry of environment in the directorate of forestry.
Zambezi environment control warden Leeverty Muyoba said, a report was received at Salambala Conservancy on Monday that a person was attacked by an elephant, and suffered serious injuries.
A family member of the deceased, who preferred anonymity, said human-wildlife conflict is rife along the Chobe River.
He expressed concern that elephants and lions are troubling the community at Ngoma and other areas because the Chobe River is already dry. “My cousin was walking alone, and found a group of elephants. The one with the calf attacked him with its tusk in his stomach around 11h00 Monday morning. We were at the scene, and it opened his stomach with its tusk. He crawled into a bush, and he reached a small road. He got exhausted until he was found by a passerby at around 16h00. He told the passerby that he was attacked by an elephant, before he died,” a family member said.
Further, he moaned that Ngoma has lost many lives in the past years due to elephants.
“A team of staff members from Katima Mulilo station responded quickly to the report, and went to verify and investigate it.
And indeed, it was confirmed that an elephant attacked and injured a man. He was found alive around 15h00 by Mulatehi Richard Simwanza on Monday. Simwanza went to seek help from a nearby village. Upon arrival back at the scene, they found the victim dead,” Muyoba said.
He reported that the unfortunate incident happened while the deceased was on his way to visit a relative at a nearby village in the vicinity of Ngoma in Salambala Conservancy.
“The deceased was injured through his abdomen on the right side around the kidney area,” he said.
Upon arrival at the scene, environment staff members found the elephant still at the scene, and they immediately put it down to avoid similar incidents in the area.
The meat was handed over to Salambala Conservancy to distribute the meat to the affected family and their conservancy members. He gave the environment ministry’s assuarance that it will assist the family members to file a claim in terms of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Policy to offset the loss of life.
-Additional reporting by Nampa
-anakale@nepc.com.na