Namibia: Caprivi Farmers Say Animals Destroy Crops
Brigitte Weidlich
16 June 2009


FARMERS in the Caprivi Region say incidents of wild animals destroying their crops are on the increase.

Speaking at media briefing in Windhoek last week, several traditional leaders complained bitterly about elephants eating their maize and mahangu cobs, while buffaloes are competing for grazing and are blamed for spreading foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease to cattle.

"Several years ago wild animals were afraid to come near our villages and fields to help themselves to our crops, but in the recent past especially elephants have become bolder," said Induna Joseph Sikabelezi.

"They come from the parks and make us poor as we do not have food left to eat when our fields are destroyed our harvests eaten by them. "At least we should get compensated by Government," he added.


Other indunas also put the blame solely at the doorstep of wild animals. Induna John Mzilikazi said some communities in the Caprivi benefited from trophy-hunting concessions. "We also want that in our area, but we live in such a remote part, nobody has come to us yet with such a proposal," he added.

On Thursday afternoon, DTA President Katuutire Kaura tabled a motion requesting the National Assembly to debate on the animal-human conflict in the Caprivi Region and to find a lasting solution.

"Since rural conservancies have been put up in the country, an increase in the conflict between wild animals and humans has been recorded," he said, adding that the people of the Caprivi Region are facing even more problems due to crocodile and hippopotamus attacks.

I guess the one I shot in the Caprivi last year wasn't enough to solve the problem. Guess i better get back up there this summer and whack another one.

Always happy to do my part.

I can believe this. Several of the villagers build huts in their fields and keep a fire going all night to ward off the elephants. A villager was also killed by a hippo not long before we arrived in May.

The Chobe River is the southern border of the eastern Caprivi, with Chobe National Park on the other side in Botswana. The park in that area has been decimated by the overpopulation of elephants, and they only need cross the small river to get into Namibia to get to the village crops.

quote:

"They come from the parks and make us poor as we do not have food left to eat when our fields are destroyed our harvests eaten by them. "At least we should get compensated by Government,"

Sounds familiar ...