Namibia: Elephant Shot Dead 'For Braai' in Front of Tourists


The Namibian (Windhoek)

21 August 2008
Posted to the web 21 August 2008

Adam Hartman


AN elephant was shot dead - allegedly for a local chief's "braaivleis party" - in front of several tourists in the Bwabwata Park in the Caprivi Region last week, causing many of the shocked visitors to cut short their tours.

Andrew Momberg, a private tour guide who often takes clients to northern Namibia, told The Namibian that he had ever seen anything like it before.


He said he took a British tour group to a place called the "Horseshoe Bend" on the Cuando River on August 8.

It is a popular watering hole where tourists can watch elephants playing in the water.

"There must have been about 50 elephants.

"It's always a highlight for the tourists to see them play gracefully in the water," he said.

The next moment, two shots rang out and a fatally wounded elephant cow slumped to the ground in front of all the tourists.

"Everyone was shocked and perplexed at what they had just seen in front of their very eyes; and then people began shouting out of dismay," according to Momberg.

He said officers of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism arrived shortly afterwards, explaining to the tourists that the elephant was a "problem animal" pestering local communities.

He said all the animals fled from the waterhole - and so did all the tourists, "who just wanted to go home".

The next morning, Momberg and his clients decided to go back into the park for a game drive.

The elephant that had been shot the previous day was "lying on its buckled legs, tusks in the ground, and blood oozing from its trunk and mouth".

"There were about ten people with two Ministry vehicles around the dead animal, busy chopping and cutting it up.

Our path was going right past the carcass, but the men asked us to make a small detour, which we could not because of very thick sand, so we were forced to drive through and over the blood and guts strewn over the path.

This is not a nice experience for any tourist," Momberg said.

Coming back later the vehicle once again had to drive through it, he told The Namibian.

"These [foreigners] are sensitive to this sort of stuff," he said.

"I felt sorry for them."

Later that afternoon it came to light, according to Momberg, that a hippo also had been shot nearby the previous day, and for the same reason - a "braaivleis party" allegedly held by one of the local chiefs on August 10.

The Namibian contacted a source at one of the lodges in the area and he confirmed the incident, saying that Chief Josef Mayuni of the Mafwe tribe was celebrating his inauguration and the animals were shot as part of the annual hunting quota.

It is not known if the incident is linked to the discovery of hippo meat and an elephant foot in a Police bus at a checkpoint near Rundu on Sunday.



The Namibian was referred to the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management at the Ministry, Colgar Shikopo, for comment but he was in a meeting.

If it was a legal act, why is everyone getting their panties in a bunch? The soft pansies wanted to see Africa, and Africa they saw!

Nothing worse than a tourist who impose their way of life on the culture being visited. It is total arrogance!
You want to visit the country, then visit, take pictures and enjoy or STFU!

quote:

The elephant that had been shot the previous day was "lying on its buckled legs, tusks in the ground, and blood oozing from its trunk and mouth".

"There were about ten people with two Ministry vehicles around the dead animal, busy chopping and cutting it up.

. . . This is not a nice experience for any tourist," Momberg said.

I beg to differ.

Oops! Welcome to Africa!

Toughen up princess.

The locals did a fine job, anchoring the ele and not having to chase it around in the bush, trumpeting, etc. Yes, the tourists saw raw Africa and had a chance to experience their primal roots at it's best. Bravo to Chief Josef Mayuni and his people!

let's see if I understand this? You go to africa to see WILDlife, the historic inhabitants of the land want to harvest dinner. And as a guest in the home (or country) you have a problem with it? WTF is wrong with you!

quote:

Oops! Welcome to Africa!



Wendell Reich

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:

quote:

The elephant that had been shot the previous day was "lying on its buckled legs, tusks in the ground, and blood oozing from its trunk and mouth".

"There were about ten people with two Ministry vehicles around the dead animal, busy chopping and cutting it up.

. . . This is not a nice experience for any tourist," Momberg said.

I beg to differ.

"When in Rome..."

The Disney types are shocked even when they see a lion take a zebra ! ...But here in the USA we're going to have an inauguration soon maybe they should slaughter a donkey and an elephant on the White House lawn !

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
The Disney types are shocked even when they see a lion take a zebra ! ...But here in the USA we're going to have an inauguration soon maybe they should slaughter a donkey and an elephant on the White House lawn !

No goat?

These tourists, just got to see where meat comes from! The so-called civilized world has become a pack of idiots, who think lamb chops start out in plastic wrap, at the butcher's shop.

If the tour guide had had any sence, he would stopped, and asked why the animal was shot, and then explained to these tourists, that this was a problem animal,that had to be taken out, and that the meat would not be wasted, but used to feed a lot of people!

I think if the tour guide had done that,at least some of the tourist would have gone home with a different slant on the happening. As it is, they went home not understanding anything, and their comments for the next 20 yrs will all be negative. It doesn't help our cause to just dismiss this as no harm other than the insense of a few ignorant tourists!

The buckled legs, blood slick from the trunk, the sudden collapse.... sounds like they were treated to a very good brain shot. Lucky them!

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
If the tour guide had had any sence, he would stopped, and asked why the animal was shot, and then explained to these tourists, that this was a problem animal,that had to be taken out, and that the meat would not be wasted, but used to feed a lot of people!

I think if the tour guide had done that,at least some of the tourist would have gone home with a different slant on the happening. As it is, they went home not understanding anything, and their comments for the next 20 yrs will all be negative. It doesn't help our cause to just dismiss this as no harm other than the insense of a few ignorant tourists!

MacD37 could not have said it up better myself

Well said .366 and others

Couple of points here, assuming the story is true.

First, you don't shoot anything in front of tourists anywhere. Hunting is not a spectator sport.

Second, where were the tourists related to the shot? Did the cull team not know people were nearby? Safety issue here.

I'll share the the Board's delight at the discomfiture of the tourists, but no, that is not a sensible or smart thing to do. MacD's idea for what the guide should have said might have helped partially rescue the situation.

Regards

Sorry Tim but this was not hunting. It was a drive by shooting by officials for a picnic.

Sam

As my hippo was being butchered on the banks of the Zambezi a few boats went by. I have no idea if they were going to and from fishing spots, or just tourists sight-seeing. I've always been curious about their reactions.

Poor little diddums.

I have an hours film footage of a elephant being butchered and hundreds of photos.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Carney:
Couple of points here, assuming the story is true.

First, you don't shoot anything in front of tourists anywhere. Hunting is not a spectator sport.

Second, where were the tourists related to the shot? Did the cull team not know people were nearby? Safety issue here.

I'll share the the Board's delight at the discomfiture of the tourists, but no, that is not a sensible or smart thing to do. MacD's idea for what the guide should have said might have helped partially rescue the situation.

Regards

I agree but then I don't. I'd rather not hunt where others are present and I'd certainly not like to offend anyone as a rule, but I am a little offended at the idea that I need to hide my hunting.

If I were hunting sheep in the Brooks Range or moose right here out of Dillingham and I saw some "tourists" taking pictures of the ram or bull I was about to squeeze the trigger on, I'd be bothered that they were there, but I'd pull the trigger. Frankly I'd be indignant if they were indignant!

Hunting isn't a pasttime we need to hide or feel appologetic for. Whether its bears in Alaska or the elephant in question, if the "tourist" isn't comfortable viewing the life and death of wildlife I'd suggest they stick with the zoos.

Also Tim, you assume there could be safety issue there. I assume the hunters or shooters saw the tourists, saw they were out of the field of fire, thought to themselves, "I wonder what those guys are going to think," and pulled the trigger. No safety issue.

The story behind the story....

"The Minister also confirmed that an elephant was shot in the Bwabwata National Park on August 8, but said it was not to provide meat for a traditional feast.

Tour operator Andrew Momber last week told The Namibian that an elephant was shot dead in the park in front of several tourists, who were so shocked that they cut short their tours.

A source at one of the tourist lodges in the area said the elephant and a hippo were shot to provide meat for the inauguration feast of Chief Joseph Mayuni of the Mafwe tribe.

According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, however, no hippo was shot.She said game rangers from the Susuwe Ranger Station shot the elephant cow in self-defence because it was pushing against their vehicle, threatening to overturn it.

The meat was donated to the community, the Minister said."

In the West, for the most part, we are only one, or at the most, a couple of generations removed from a time when if one wanted to eat meat, the animal had to be slaughtered, have its neck wrung, or it was hunted down by the men in the family.

This story is a prime example of the pussification of the U.S.A, or in this case, the West. The alarming part is how quickly it has taken place. I wonder what the world will be like in another 50 years.

Landrum

Namibia: No Action in Elephants Case


The Namibian (Windhoek)

29 August 2008
Posted to the web 29 August 2008

Absalom Shigwedha


Police are dragging their feet in opening a case against Police officers in whose bus hippo meat and an elephant foot were found at the Mururani veterinary checkpoint in Kavango last week.

The Ministry of Environment's Chief Control Warden for the Northwest, Charles Musialike, told The Namibian that they cannot open a case against the senior Police officer, a Chief Inspector, who was driving the bus.


Mururani is the border gate of the veterinary cordon fence between the northern and southern farming areas, where there are strict controls on the movement of meat products and live animals from the northern communal areas.

Both hippo and elephants are protected species.

According to Musialike, the Mayuni Conservancy from which the meat originated had permission to kill the two animals and the chairperson of the conservancy, Chief Joseph Tembwe Mayuni of the Mashi Traditional Authority, stated in a letter that the meat came from him.

Musialike said Chief Mayuni donated the game meat to the chief of the Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCIS) in the Caprivi Region.

The meat was from a hippo and an elephant that were killed legally for a Mashi traditional feast held on August 10, he said.

"We cannot open a case against the Police officer because the chief had permission to kill the animals," said Musialike.

He said while investigating the incident, they received a letter from the Mayuni Traditional Authority stating the meat was given to the NCIS boss in the region.

He said all the Ministry could do was to fine the senior Police officer for being in possession of and transporting game meat without permission.

This, however, has yet to be done.

The NCIS official, it transpired, asked the Police officers to take the meat across the veterinary fence.

Police officers at Mururani said they could not arrest a senior officer, claiming their regulations prohibited them from doing that.

Last week, a game ranger at Mangetti Game Park, Mathias Kaveto, said they would push for a case to be opened.

The meat was allegedly wrapped and sealed in three plastic refuse bags, while some other parts were kept in a cooler box.


The Police bus carrying the contraband meat passed through two roadblocks at Kongola and Divundu before the illegal consignment was finally discovered and confiscated at Mururani.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Namibia: Elephant Shot Dead 'For Braai' in Front of Tourists


The Namibian (Windhoek)

21 August 2008
Posted to the web 21 August 2008

Adam Hartman


AN elephant was shot dead - allegedly for a local chief's "braaivleis party" - in front of several tourists in the Bwabwata Park in the Caprivi Region last week, causing many of the shocked visitors to cut short their tours.

Andrew Momberg, a private tour guide who often takes clients to northern Namibia, told The Namibian that he had ever seen anything like it before.


He said he took a British tour group to a place called the "Horseshoe Bend" on the Cuando River on August 8.

It is a popular watering hole where tourists can watch elephants playing in the water.

"There must have been about 50 elephants.

"It's always a highlight for the tourists to see them play gracefully in the water," he said.

The next moment, two shots rang out and a fatally wounded elephant cow slumped to the ground in front of all the tourists.

"Everyone was shocked and perplexed at what they had just seen in front of their very eyes; and then people began shouting out of dismay," according to Momberg.

He said officers of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism arrived shortly afterwards, explaining to the tourists that the elephant was a "problem animal" pestering local communities.

He said all the animals fled from the waterhole - and so did all the tourists, "who just wanted to go home".

The next morning, Momberg and his clients decided to go back into the park for a game drive.

The elephant that had been shot the previous day was "lying on its buckled legs, tusks in the ground, and blood oozing from its trunk and mouth".

"There were about ten people with two Ministry vehicles around the dead animal, busy chopping and cutting it up.

Our path was going right past the carcass, but the men asked us to make a small detour, which we could not because of very thick sand, so we were forced to drive through and over the blood and guts strewn over the path.

This is not a nice experience for any tourist," Momberg said.

Coming back later the vehicle once again had to drive through it, he told The Namibian.

"These [foreigners] are sensitive to this sort of stuff," he said.

"I felt sorry for them."

Later that afternoon it came to light, according to Momberg, that a hippo also had been shot nearby the previous day, and for the same reason - a "braaivleis party" allegedly held by one of the local chiefs on August 10.

The Namibian contacted a source at one of the lodges in the area and he confirmed the incident, saying that Chief Josef Mayuni of the Mafwe tribe was celebrating his inauguration and the animals were shot as part of the annual hunting quota.

It is not known if the incident is linked to the discovery of hippo meat and an elephant foot in a Police bus at a checkpoint near Rundu on Sunday.



The Namibian was referred to the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management at the Ministry, Colgar Shikopo, for comment but he was in a meeting.

Please find below the official press by the Minister of Environment and Tourism in answer to the newspaper reports:
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND TOURISM


PRESS STATEMENT BY HON. NETUMBO NANDI-NDAITWAH, MP MINISTER

ON THE ELEPHANT NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

25 AUGUST 2008 WINDHOEK

10H00 KHOMAS REGION





“MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has learnt with concern and surprise about the inaccurate, false media reports and the assumptions made in the articles published in the Namibian Newspapers of Thursday, 31 July 2008 on an article titled “Last desert elephants in firing line†and of Thursday, 21 August 2008 on an article titled “Elephant shot dead for braai in front of touristsâ€, respectively.



I would like to bring to the attention of the general public and the international community that elephants occur across the entire north of Namibia with two main subpopulations in the north-east and the north-west. In 2004 the total population was estimated at over 16 000 animals and, allowing for underestimates on aerial surveys, the true number this year is likely to be over 20 000.



The north-western population is about 4 000 animals and includes the elephants in the Etosha National Park. Elephants are being seen as far south as the Ugab River and in all of the river catchments which flow westwards to the Atlantic Ocean in the north.

The north-eastern population is over 16 000 animals. The recent increases are well in excess of normal growth rates and must be attributed to immigration from the northern Botswana population which is about 150 000 elephants, and the north-western Zimbabwe population which is about 50 000 elephants.


The conservation status of elephants in Namibia is more than satisfactory, their numbers already exceed what many would consider desirable for the available habitats and they have been identified as a possible threat to other rare and valuable species which Namibia is trying to conserve. There are no limiting factors preventing an increase in their numbers.

Elephants are classified as Specially Protected Game under Namibian law. Namibia’s wildlife legislation requires the preparation of management plans for species which are rare or valuable. Elephants are not rare in Namibia but they are potentially valuable and a management plan is in place.

In 1996, the Government of the Republic of Namibia through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism amended legislation, the Nature Conservation Amendment Act of 1996 (Act 5 of 1996) to allow for the formation of Communal Area Conservancies that gave consumptive and non-consumptive utilization rights of wildlife to rural communities.


Communal area conservancies manage 120 000 km square of communal land in Namibia and thus over 220 620 people live within these conservancies. To date, there are 52 registered conservancies that generate over N$ 6 million from consumptive utilization of wildlife including trophy hunting of elephants, per year. For Kunene region there are eighteen (18) registered conservancies which also benefit from the animal quotas allocated for trophy hunting.

The three elephants in question are included on the game utilization quotas for 2008 of Conservancies in the Khorixas district in the Kunene Region. The three elephants are shared by the conservancies as follows:

Torra and Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancies - one elephant

Huab and Doro !Nawas Conservancies - one elephant

Sorris-Sorris and Otjimboyo Conservancies - one elephant



The Ministry took the decisions to award the three elephants for trophy hunting based upon the upon the approved Elephant Management Plan, existing Policies and Legislation, and most important, the results of the game census conducted from the 19th to 20th June 2007, where 365 elephants were counted at a coverage of 53, 69%. These elephants originate from the Etosha National Park population.

With the counted elephant number of 365 in that particular area, there is no way that the sex ratio of the population could be skewed to three bulls only.

These quotas include problem animals and the Ministry will only under exceptional conditions consider granting approval that any additional problem animal be destroyed.

Human Wildlife Conflict is also escalating, and in 2006, the number of problem incidents reported to the Ministry was 5 637. During the year 2007, seven people lost their lives to elephants in the North Eastern Regions of Caprivi and Kavango, one person in the Uchab area of the Kunene Region and another one in the area north of Etosha National Park.

Addressing human-wildlife conflict requires striking a balance between conservation priorities and the needs of people living with wildlife. Elephant-human conflict is not new in the Kunene Region. The issue was also brought to Cabinet already in 2000 when an American tourist was killed by an elephant, and another tourist seriously injured. Two other tourists were killed in the same region the previous year. With the above tourists incidents, Cabinet resolved that the movement of tourists in specific identified areas in Kunene be restricted because of threat to the future existence of endangered species such as elephants and black rhinos. In July 2001, Cabinet was again informed about the Elephant-human conflicts in Kunene, and the Ministry was then instructed to take certain measures to reduce the conflict such as capture and sell, trophy hunting of problem animals and additional waters for wildlife.

The allocation of elephant quotas for trophy hunting in Namibia, is also based on the number which we are allocated by CITES, which is ninety (90) elephants per year only.

It is the opinion of the Ministry that the aggressiveness of the elephants and their new migration patterns inland is an indication of disturbance in the Uchab River, probably caused more by irresponsible eco-tourism and vehicles than anything else.

Namibia’s elephant population and the Kunene population in particular, is a healthy and growing population. It is growing at about 3.3% per year. The current levels of consumptive off-take are extremely conservative. They are well below sustainable off-take levels, and the population continues to grow and expand.

There are more elephants in Namibia today than at any time in the past 100 years. One of the reasons for their increase in numbers is that they have a value, communities have rights to manage and use the wildlife, and are starting to earn significant income from wildlife and this is creating the incentives for them to look after and protect wildlife, including elephants, all of which leads to a positive conservation result.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has also not issued a permit for research purposes to Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) or to Mr. Johannes Haasbroek himself, in this regard. Any work being done on elephants status in the Kunene Region by this NGO is illegal and cannot be relied on.

With regard to the elephant shot in the Bwabwata National Park, it is unfortunate that a certain Andrew Momberg who is referred to in the Newspaper did not approach the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to get the exact information of what had happened.

I would like to confirm that yes an elephant was shot in the Bwabwata National Park but not for the reason of a braai for a traditional festival as stated, and of course not in front of tourists.

What happened was that on the 08th August 2008, officials of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism responsible for the management of the Bwabwata National Park at Susuwe Ranger Station were out in the Park for usual Park duties. While at an area known as Horse shoe bend on the Kwando river, a herd of eleven elephants were from drinking water and heading towards the road which the officials were using. At a distance of about 30 meters before the elephants, the officials stopped, as the elephants started to approach the vehicle. When the elephants got very close, a sub adult elephant cow appeared to have noticed that there are people at the back of the vehicle and the elephant then came aggressively for the vehicle, and the Ministry officials realized there was danger, and they quickly lied down at the back of the vehicle.

The elephant then started lifting the vehicle, probably thinking the people were under the vehicle. It pushed the car twice, and with the third push, the car was almost overturned and the officials realized there was no other option but to serve their lives and therefore the elephant was shot. The elephant was also found with a wound on its right front leg and this might have caused its aggressiveness. It could not be determined what caused the wound.

At a distance of about 500 meters, Ministry officials met a vehicle of tourists and they informed them not to proceed with that road to avoid visibility of that elephant carcass, and the tourists adhered to that.

To clear the carcass from the Park, the meat was removed and donated to the neighbouring community for own consumption.

When I visited Bwabwata National Park on the 16th August 2008, I was shown the vehicle that was almost overturned by the elephant, and the dent or mark by the elephant on the vehicle was visible.

This elephant was therefore not shot for the Traditional Authority festival of Mashi Community, and not the Mafwe as the Newspaper reports, which took place on the 10th August 2008, but as defense of human life and in this case Ministry officials. There was also no hippo shot in the Bwabwata National Park for the purpose as reported in the Newspaper.

This is not the first time that officials of the Ministry are attacked by elephants or other wild animals. Recently the Warden for Khaudum National Park survived a similar incident when a vehicle he was traveling in was attacked by elephants on his way from the Park to Tsumkwe. He had to leave the vehicle and proceed on foot.

In May 2007, two officials of the Ministry, the late Tekla Haseb and Kapinga Kasanga, were unfortunately attacked and killed by an elephant in the Mahango Game Park, which is now part of the Bwabwata National Park.

During the beginning of 2006, a thatched hut in the tourist camp at Khaudum National Park was attacked by an elephant when three officials of the Ministry including the Deputy Director of Parks and Wildlife Management and two staff members of the Namibia Nature Foundation where inside. Fortunately no one was hurt or injured.

I therefore dismiss these two articles as published in the Namibian Newspaper, where it is reported that last desert elephants are in firing line and that an elephant was shot dead for braai in front of tourists.

The information contained in the said articles about desert elephants and elephant for braai is incorrect and misleading, and we call upon the general public and the international community to ignore these articles.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism further regrets any inconvenience caused by the incorrect statements and is hereby appealing to members of the media, to in future contact the Ministry and obtain accurate information and verification thereof.

I THANK YOU ALL.â€

Great response. Very thorough and informed by a strongly pro-hunting attitude.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Great response. Very thorough and informed by a strongly pro-hunting attitude.

What he said!