https://www.bignewsnetwork.com...troublesome-elephant



Namibia to sell hunting rights for troublesome elephant

Xinhua
24th April 2021, 20:05 GMT+10

WINDHOEK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will sell the hunting rights to a problem-causing elephant which has been tracking across farms and causing damage to property, Environment Ministry spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said Saturday.

In a press statement, Muyunda said the ministry decided to put down the elephant because its continuous presence in and around the park constitutes a great risk as it may break the fence, which will lead to a restriction in the movement of all cloven hoofed animals such as cattle and their products from the area.

"These restrictions will result in economic hardships as all livestock related economic activities in the country could possibly come to a standstill for months," he said.

Muyunda said the elephant is to be trophy hunted with the proceeds to be paid to the affected farmers and to the Game Products Trust Fund.

Last year, the country shot down 10 elephants which were considered problematic to protect farmers and their crops.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202104260743.html



Namibia: Govt's Trophy Hunt Causes Ruckus

26 APRIL 2021
The Namibian (Windhoek)
By Arlana Shikongo


THE planned shooting of a rogue collared elephant said to be causing havoc on farms between Otjiwarongo and Otavi has caused an uproar among some environmental groups and conservationists.

The uproar has been caused by the government's decision to have the elephant trophy hunted.

"Is this truly a problem elephant, or is this simple greed and opportunism?" Ingrid Mandt, a lobbyist and campaigner for the conservation of animals, asked on Twitter.

Concerned groups have also expressed their dismay at the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's haste to put down a collared elephant instead of relocating it.



This comes after the ministry on Friday issued a statement confirming that the elephant, which was observed on farms in the area from 9 April where it caused damage to property and fences, would be trophy hunted.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda yesterday confirmed that the hunt would be undertaken by professional big game hunter Jofie Lambrecht.

The ministry declared the large mammal a problem elephant, citing it was causing havoc on farms and damaged the fence of the Waterberg Plateau Park, which it entered on 21 April.

"The Waterberg has about 1 000 buffaloes and other valuable species. Out of abundance of caution, the ministry decided to put down the elephant because its continues presence in and around the Waterberg Plateau Park constitutes a great risk. Should it break the fence and buffaloes escape, it would lead to a restriction in the movement of all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle and their products from the area.



"These restrictions would result in economic hardships as all livestock-related economic activities in the country could possibly come to a standstill for months," Muyunda said.

He said the decision to put down the animal does not come lightly.

"I wish to point out that the ministry does not take pleasure in declaring any animal as problem causing, neither does it take such a decision for monetory gain," Muyunda said.

Muyunda said groups opposing the decision are often blind to the challenges that exist for the ministry when faced with the responsibility of balancing conservation with people's needs and rights.

He said the hunt would assist affected farmers financially to repair the damage to their properties.

The proceeds of the hunt would also go to the state-owned Game Product Trust Fund.

While it has not been confirmed how much the hunt has been sold for yet, a similar hunt in 2019 of the popular Namibian elephant called Voortrekker went for N$120 000.

There are two more elephants in the commercial farming areas of Otavi and Grootfontein, Muyunda said.

However, they have not caused any major damage.

"The ministry is monitoring the situation while looking into the possibility to capture and relocate them to a national park or any other appropriate habitat where they would not cause any conflict with people," Muyunda said.

Two issues I see here. One, the animal is collared, so is this a hunt or a shoot? If the GPS information is used, it's simply a cull, not a hunt.

If the government allows it to be a real hunt without using the GPS data from the collar, would the ivory be importable?

https://allafrica.com/stories/202104280857.html

Namibia: Elephant Meat Distributed to Farms


28 APRIL 2021
The Namibian (Windhoek)
By Arlana Shikongo

THE meat of a 'problem' elephant that was trophy-hunted on Sunday has been distributed among farmers and farmworkers in the Otavi area.

Romeo Muyunda, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, yesterday confirmed this.

The elephant was made available to be trophy-hunted, much to the dismay of some environmental groups and conservationists, as it was reported to be causing havoc on farms between Otjiwarongo and Otavi.

In a statement issued on Monday, professional hunter Jofie Lamprecht, said the elephant had to be put down because it was injured, and to prevent it from causing further damage.



"[The elephant] had a tyre stuck to its front right foot. Abscess had already formed, and it was the opinion of several people that this tyre would not have come off unless, at great cost, the elephant was sedated, and the tyre removed.

"The foot would have caused this elephant great pain and a terrible death," he said.

Lamprecht released a statement to clarify earlier reports that he hunted the elephant.

He said he was only part of the facilitation of the hunting process in an administrative capacity.

"I can confirm that the elephant was ethically and cleanly hunted under the guidance of a Namibian-registered professional hunter of a different company, with his international client," he said.

Furthermore, he said the decision to have the animal put down considered all aspects of economic costs associated with alternative options, such as relocating it.



"The relocation of a problem elephant, when Namibia's elephant population is already well over sustainable numbers is harming Namibia's biodiversity and damaging its environment.

"At what cost would this elephant have been removed by darting and translocation, and to what end?" he asked.

Lamprecht said there is no space for elephants on commercial land, "simply because the damage caused is not economically viable for commercial cattle farmers".

He said the damage caused by the elephant at the Waterberg National Park posed a threat to other natural resources in the area.

Figures provided by Lamprecht indicate that a total of N$127 500 was raised to hunt the elephant.

The bulk of this, some N$ 107 500, went to the Platveld Boerevereniging (farmer's association) for damages caused by the elephant, while N$20 000 went to the state-owned Game Products Trust Fund.

The fund was created to ensure that revenue raised from the sale of wildlife is reinvested in wildlife conservation, communal land and rural development programmes.

"All the funds were handled through a lawyer's trust account and can be fully accounted for," Lamprecht stated.

The decision to put the elephant up for a trophy hunt was met with strong resistance.

In its defence, the environment ministry said it does not take pleasure in declaring an animal as problem causing, neither does it take such a decision for monetary gain.

Much ado over nothing? I saw photos of the bull with the tire stuck on its leg. Looked pretty bad.