From The Namibian, May 1, 2007

Minibus hits elephant: 6 reported dead...
Six people are reported to have died when a Toyota minibus carrying 17 passengers crashed into an elephant about 18 km west of Kongola on Friday evening. Three people in the front seats apparently died instantly. Three passengers who could not get out of the rear seats were then trampled to death by the injured elephant. The elephant was able to leave the scene, but is regarded as extremely dangerous because it is probably in pain. Nature Conservation officers were informed and are on the lookout for the animal. The other survivors were transported to the Katima Mulilo State Hospital. The vehicle had an Oshakati registration number. According to Uwe Rathmann of Mossi Nets, who drove past the accident scene on Saturday morning, the car wreck looked "terrible". The Police were yesterday unable to confirm how many people died in the accident.

Big as an elephant is, how could the driver of the mini not see it? Driving too fast? Just plain stupid?

quote:

Originally posted by 475Guy:

Big as an elephant is, how could the driver of the mini not see it? Driving too fast? Just plain stupid?

Had to have been at night, or at least after sundown, I would think.

We have run up in the truck on entire herds of elephant crossing the road when driving back to camp at night in the Caprivi. The cows get spooky and very hostile.

That's why you go real slow and give them lots of room.

Just after we left, I heard that a cow had attacked a truck at a road crossing, and put one of her tusks right through the front window of the cab, impaling and killing a passenger.

The question begs to be asked, what's wrong with the brakes? Where I live, cattle get away all the time and you've got to be on your toes when going aroung blind curves even during daylight hours.

You have to be real careful in elephant country, when traveling at night! The head lights will not reflect off an ele like it will animals with hair, so if you are traveling too quickly, you are on him before you see him. The problem is when you hit an ele, someone is going to get killed, because what you hit are his legs, sheering them out from under him, causing him to fall full body on top of the car, and YOU!!

This stretch of road, which bisects the Caprivi Strip, is known for this. Much of the traffic are the "lorry's" (tractor-trailers) from Zambia, which haul-butt on the straight, flat road through the Park leading to/from Katima. Many a morning we would see fresh, black rubber on the road from a near miss (or is that a near hit?) during the night. After sunset coming back from the leopard blind, even in a Land Cruiser, it is easy to out-pace the headlamps.

Here's a pict of my son taken in 03…not far from Kongola and likely real close to where this latest accident occurred:



A few of the local bushman have also been killed on that road….fell asleep on the tarmac on their way home from the "cuku" (I think that's what they are called…little shacks that sell the local beer) and got run over.

All we hit in the Caprivi was a hippo on the track back to camp, locked them up in the sand and just tapped the rear end of the bull which was confused by the lights.

Its true, elephants are hard to see in the headlights at night.

You would be suprised at how little cover can hide an elephant by the day let alone how hard they are to see, even in headlights, at night.

JPK

If you consider the roadwortiness of taxis in RSA, the dring skills of the drivers and their general lack of road safety, one can understand the all the accidents. The taxi drivers in Namibia is of the same breed you find in RSA.

Taxi drivers all over Africa cares less and are driving like hooligans most of the time. In many instances the brakes are not working properly and the headlights are barely stronger than candles. They also regularly drive under influance of alcohol. I am surprised that their are not more accidents like this. I do feel sorry for the passengers, they do not have another means of transport and must ussually take the first taxi available, never mind the condition of the vehicle.

We travelled back from the Caprivi on Friday afternoon and saw the taxi. We had gone up a couple of days before to attend meetings and saw a good size herd of Elephants in the same vicinity between 9 and 10 in the evening and one can easily imagine that this can happen to anyone.
When you consider that you do not always easily see Elephants when they're to the side of the road at night and adding to that when they are startled or spooked and decide to go, they go and it just mught be across the road in front of you. Many of you guys also know that an Elephant can move at a rate when they go so you may beable to brake in time and you may not. Animals are hit on this road each year and yes sometimes the drivers can be accused of speeding or reckless driving however this is not always the case. I hope the survivors make a speedy recovery.

quote:

Taxi drivers all over Africa cares less and are driving like hooligans most of the time.

I heard a story about a RSA taxi driver whose car didn't have a steering wheel. He had vice grips attached to the steering column instead of a steering wheel.

That's quite a common trick as is welding a spanner onto the steering column...... the idea is that they can then fit an additional passenger in the cab.

Strange as it sounds, it's very easy to not see an Elephant at night. Some years ago I was driving back to a friend's house (around midnight) in one of the private parts of the KNP, turned a corner on the dirt road and only saw a big old bull right at the last moment. I didn't hit him, but only stopped a foot or so from his ass end. It's funny now when I look back, but wasn't so funny at the time.

So much for the "bigger is better" crowd when it comes to elephant hunting!

I have just been handed the following calculations, apparently based on a 4500 pound minibus travelling at 40 miles an hour.

It hit the elephant with 240,741 foot pounds of energy! And the elephant lived to tell tales!

I will stick to my puny rifle that has all of 4,850 foot pounds!

Saeed,

It's a sectional density problem.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
That's quite a common trick as is welding a spanner onto the steering column...... the idea is that they can then fit an additional passenger in the cab.

Strange as it sounds, it's very easy to not see an Elephant at night. Some years ago I was driving back to a friend's house (around midnight) in one of the private parts of the KNP, turned a corner on the dirt road and only saw a big old bull right at the last moment. I didn't hit him, but only stopped a foot or so from his ass end. It's funny now when I look back, but wasn't so funny at the time.

BLOODY HELL!!

This type of mishap should come as no surprise to those who've visited over there. The road from Bulawayo headed SE to the Lowveldt is festooned with burned out hulks of vehicles and there are no elephants there.

The dumb-asses overload their minivans so they look like the clown act in the midget car at the circus, no headlights, traveling at excessive speeds and then either run into an eland or other antelope or the other dumb-asses on donkey carts that use the main road at night again with no lights.

Hell the South African Government even PAID to erect wire fencing on the medians to keep the animals from crossing and what do these morons do? Strip the wires to make poaching snares. That's just the way it is over there. jorge

Well, thanks for the clarification, fellas. Looks driving too fast in the evening with headlights that were probably not working will do the trick. I guess his brakes probably didn't work either.

People hit moose all the time here in New England. At night you can't see them standing in the road until you are right on them.

These busses are normally run over loaded and are driven far too fast.

I have traveled all over Botswana, Namibia and Zambia in these things and never failed to enjoy myself. Yes, it is scary at times but nothing compared to hunting Elephants and Lions.

While we all scoff at steering with vise-grips and bad brakes, how many of us have hunted with PHs who's rifles would not feed or would not chamber the ammo that their last client left them?

Jason

quote:

It hit the elephant with 240,741 foot pounds of energy! And the elephant lived to tell tales!

Further evidence that shot placement is critical.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

....and bad brakes...

Notice the "parking brake", under the front right tire.

Keith

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Saeed,

It's a sectional density problem.

18 chaps in a mini-bus is no problem. and you guys complain about a lack of leg-space when flying SAA.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
The dumb-asses overload their minivans

Why don't you try living on an income of $2 a day, then see how smart your ass is when it comes to hiring transportation? Did it ever occur to you that overcrowding a vehicle is dictated by economic circumstances rather than a cultural proclivity for riding in someone else's lap or due to a lack of intelligence?

One may lead to another...or vice versa.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
The dumb-asses overload their minivans

Why don't you try living on an income of $2 a day, then see how smart your ass is when it comes to hiring transportation? Did it ever occur to you that overcrowding a vehicle is dictated by economic circumstances rather than a cultural proclivity for riding in someone else's lap or due to a lack of intelligence?

Pardon me Mr. Social activist, but there are many stories that befuddle a lot of us when it comes to Africa. One that I find particularly vexing is the one regarding crocodiles and the predation on folks who go down to the river for water and washing. Turns out the PH I read about took the trouble to build a "U" shaped chain link fence near the shore as a barrier against the crocs, yet the attacks persisted.

Turns out the villagers were avoiding the chain protected shore and continued to wash and get eaten on the adjacent unprotected part of the shore. "Splain" that one to me. jorge

What happens in countries where there is plenty of sun energy is that people become charged up and wild.No one would ever think of driving alone in a vehicule with the lights on and slow,that's for depressed people.Imagine being on such a bus squashed up against some excited playboy centefold type,or having her sit on your lap.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
Did it ever occur to you that overcrowding a vehicle is dictated by economic circumstances rather than a cultural proclivity for riding in someone else's lap or due to a lack of intelligence?

jorge

I see that the answer to my question is "no".

The answer to your question is irrelevant. Low income and poverty although influential, are not the primary causal factor here nor is it one of inherent lack of intelligence. Having said that, I've ridden on plenty of overcrowded buses in the Phillipines and other "exotic" places where there are other dangers (other than elephants) that they at least TRY to mitigate. The African's philosophy of "fatalism" is what drew my comment(and example) of "dumb asses" and had NOTHING to do with their intelligence, so lay your guilt elsewhere. jorge

While driving in Zim my son heading towards Gokwe looking for zebra the road was littered with broken branches...I asked the Ph and Quoting him, " when a vehicle breaks down they drag a broken branch out in the road to drive around it..."
I have also seen the buses filled with at least 2 dozen people crammmed in like a sardine can... They are a disaster waiting to happen..

Mike

..................TIA...................


..............THAT IS AFRICA...........