Namibia: Wounded Elephant Put Down in Kunene
Absalom Shigwedha
10 June 2009

From The Namibian


A GAME warden last week killed an elephant cow after it was wounded in the leg by a farmer in the Khoadi-Hoas conservancy in the Kunene Region.

The cow was part of a herd of elephants that apparently pulled down some fence poles at the farm Quividas in the conservancy at night, Nahor Howoseb, the warden for Kunene South, told The Namibian on Monday.

Howaseb said one farmer shot at the group of elephants and wounded the cow in the front leg.

Howaseb said he shot the elephant at the instruction of the Director of Parks and Wildlife Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ben Beytell.

"You cannot put that giant leg in plaster. When it is broken it is gone," Beytell explained.

He advised people in the conservancy to always report the presence of elephants and other wild animals to conservation officials rather than taking the law into their own hands.

He warned that wounded elephants can be very dangerous.