Elephants trample two men to death

Two men were trampled to death by elephants on Monday.

In the first incident, an elephant trampled a man (46) to death at Kambangula cattle post at Tsandi in the Omusati region.

According to the police, a bull elephant trampled professional hunter Gert van der Walt to death.

Van der Walt was allegedly trophy hunting the elephant, which has been declared a ‘problem animal’, with a client, guided by Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism officials.

He was a Swakopmund resident.

Van der Walt’s body was transported to Okahao police mortuary for a post-mortem.

Investigation into the matter continues.

Axel Cramer, the president of Namibia Professional Hunting Association (Napha), yesterday confirmed that Van der Walt was trampled by an elephant during a legally sanctioned problem animal control hunt.

He said the hunt was conducted with a permit issued by the ministry.

“The allegations that this was an illegal or secretive hunt is not truthful. Please refrain from spreading unfounded allegations. Napha is deeply disturbed by the insensitive reading on social media. “We acknowledge that much work remains to educate the Namibian population about the significant contributions of trophy hunting to our community. “We thank the game guards for their bravery. Let us approach this matter with compassion and respect,” he said.

Cramer urged the public to bear in mind the grieving family and the broader implications of the tragedy.

“A family is grieving, including children who have lost a loved one. As Napha, we are committed to promoting ethical and sustainable hunting practices.

“Trophy hunting plays a crucial role in conservation efforts and supports local communities,” he said.

SECOND INCIDENT

Salambala Conservancy manager Fabian Mavuna has cautioned villagers to be on high alert, following the death of another man (49) after he was attacked by an elephant in the Ngoma area on Monday.

The man was identified by inspector Kisco Sitali as Albert Kapule, who was walking back to his village when he was attacked by the elephant.

Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Muvuna said there is a high influx of elephants and other wildlife from Botswana’s Chobe National Park in search of water due to drought.

“It’s the first human-wildlife conflict incident report for the year, which resulted in the tragic loss of life. Therefore, we would like to caution villagers to make sure they retreat to their homesteads while the sun is still out to avoid such incidents. The same goes for cattle herders, because the presence of lions is also high, so they need to return to their kraals early,” he said.

Mavuna said incidents of human-wildlife conflict in the Salambala Conservancy are not common, though isolated incidents occasionally take place.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda yesterday said the ministry has since identified the troublesome elephant and it was put down.