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Namibia: 'Rogue' Elephant Bull Terrorises Ozondati
By Adam Hartman, 28 March 2012Comment



A ROGUE elephant bull has been terrorising the Ozondati area in the Daures Constituency in the Erongo Region for the past two weeks, and the community is feeling that their plea for help is falling on deaf ears.

According to the Traditional Authority Councillor of Ozondati, Fabianus Uaseuapuani, the elephant walks between the houses in the villages of Otjivero, Okoshoto and Omao near the Ohungu Conservancy, where it even chased a man who was looking for his cattle on Sunday.

"Even on Monday, the elephant was there. It's causing a lot of problems. It's destroying fences and kraals and threatening homesteads. It is causing unrest, and even chases the cows and the goats," he told The Namibian.

The settlement of Okoshoto was without water for three days after the bull trashed a water pipe there.

Wardens from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism have been summoned to the area to investigate the animal that, according to Uaseuapuani, does not come from the original Ugab elephants that roam there. He said there were more than 70 elephants, and although they do compete for water with the community, they were hardly as intimidating as this bull.

"We hope that the wardens can get enough information to report to the Minister. This is really a problem animal and it needs to be removed or put down before it causes more destruction, or someone gets hurt," he said.

He said elephants have been causing problems for the communities in the area for "many years", and that the people are confused because nothing is being done by Government to bring the situation under control.

"There are several cases where there's been a clash between the animals and the people. We need to stop this problem, but we cry for years and years, and nothing is being done. We need to find a solution," said Uaseuapuani.

Daures Constituency councillor Ernst Katjiku said a meeting is being arranged between him, Erongo governor Cleophas Mutjavikua and Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

He also said that getting reports to the right people in the ministry was an arduous process, hampered by bureaucracy.

"It can't go on like this anymore. This has been going on for too long. People are scared to go out at night, or to look after their cattle because of this elephant. Something must be done now," he said.

The Namibian tried to get comments from the wardens, the directorate of wildlife management and the office of the permanent secretary, but to no avail. All were either out of the office, did not answer their phones, or were not permitted to speak to the media.

I have been in Namibia previously and the conservancy headman would call MET and get an own-use permit authorized within an hour. What is different here?

Something smells fishy.