Elephant tramples woman to death

Post Reporter
May 28, 2010

THE use of a torch in a game park cost a 46-year-old Mutare woman her life after she was tramped to death by one of the three elephants in the Cecil Kop Nature Reserve last Friday.

Police confirmed the death of Grace Gundhla who is said to have come across the elephant while making a follow up on her two children who had delayed coming home from school.
Manicaland police spokesman, Inspector Brian Makomeke, said the woman's body was later found lying on the footpath right inside the nature reserve.
"The incident occurred last Friday at the Cecil Kop Nature Reserve. She (Gundla) was making a follow-up on her two children who had delayed coming back home from school.
"It was around 7pm when she came across an elephant right inside the premises of the nature reserve.
The report we have indicates that she was trampled to death and two men identified as Bush Hlabiso and Norest Mabvuwa heard her screaming, but when they went to investigate they found her lying dead," Insp Makomeke said.
However, an elderly neighbour of the deceased, Manati Karindo, said the elephant might have been incensed by the lighting torch she was using along the way.
"We are certain that the torch she was using in lighting up her way must have incensed the elephant.
They do not want any light and we have always been trying to live with them in harmony by respecting some of those well known practices.
"It was around 7pm when she complained that something might have happened to her children and she decided to make a follow-up. We tried to wait for her, but she did not turn up.
“Later in the evening, together with the deceased's son, we made a follow-up.
"Along the way, someone instructed us to stop.
“He told us, in a shaky voice, that someone had been killed by an elephant.
“We waited for a while and I was told to return home as the deceased's son proceeded to search for her mother.
“He only returned home later in the evening and that is when I was told that his mother had been trampled by a elephant," he said.
Vice-president of the Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, Mr Shame Mudzengere, deplored the loss human life at the hands of wildlife, but maintained that killing the elephant would not be advisable.
"This was an accident that occurred right inside the park. I think it is sad that we have lost human life and I really feel for the bereaved family.
However, I think I should also mention that killing one of the three elephants at the Cecil Kop will not be advisable.
"Relocating them to a bigger game reserve will be a better idea. In any case, if we kill one of them, the remaining two will be even more violent given that elephants do not want the smell of their blood," Mr Mudzengere said.
National Parks and Wildlife Management officials were not available for comment at the time of going to Press.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
a 46-year-old Mutare woman

Thank God she wasn't immature.

Brett

Ah,yes, one more example of elephants acting like dangerous wild beasts. (A mother looking for her overdue children? Well,the elephant probably ran over her in the dark by accident) It truly angers me that the anti-hunting "documentaries" we Americans see by the dozens every year about Africa and elephants never find so much as one minute of film time to tell us about the unpleasant aspects of elephants - like killing a mother looking for her children in the dark. Tell me, you elephant lovers -exactly why did the elephant have a right to kill her? - and shooting elephants is some kind of terrible crime against the "environment"? (I'm not so sentimental as not to understand that a wild animal can act irrationally form our viewpoint -and is not to be blamed for acting like,well, a wild animal. It's those profiteers from anti-hunting documentaries that I'm aiming at)

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
a 46-year-old Mutare woman

Thank God she wasn't immature.

Brett

Lord help me in my dislexic state! I'm guessing MUtAre is the town she was from rather than a statement of her being mAtUre. I really suck sometimes.

Brett

At least you got it right the second time.