Thursday January 07, 2010
Local News

SA firm denies killing elephant



MARC NKWAME in Arusha, 6th January 2010 @ 11:00,

THE South African based, hotel chain, '& Beyond' has refuted allegations that one of its Tanzanian lodge managers was involved in the elephant killing saga which was reported near Serengeti late last year.

An official statement from the company's headquarters in Johannesburg said the manager, Mr Andrew Schoeman who was in-charge at one of the '& Beyond' facilities, the Kleins Camp of Ololosokwan had nothing to do with the incident.

The '&Beyond' management explained that when the jumbo's carcass was discovered in Loliondo by a visiting Parliamentary Committee, Mr Schoeman was actually doing everything possible to establish the nature of the animal's death.

"The '&Beyond' directors are still currently out of the office untill the 11th January 2010, but here are the facts that we have at hand currently," reads part of an e-mailed response from the company's spokesperson, Mr Valeri Mouton.

According to the '& Beyond's statement, on 20 November 2009, a carcass of elephant was found in the Klein's Camp concession. The Lodge Manager, Mr Andrew Schoeman, investigated the carcass and concluded that it had most probably died of natural causes.

"Blood samples were taken and sent to the vet in Seronera in an attempt to establish the exact cause of death. Subsequent to its discovery, its tusks were removed by an unknown persons.

"This incident is being given serious attention by the management of '&Beyond' and is being investigated further," reads the statement.

The company has also refuted allegations that the Kleins Camp manager, Mr Schoeman and his wife Nicolene fled the country after the elephant was discovered within the facility's vicinity.

Mr Elias Wawa-Lali the Ngorongoro District Commissioner had claimed when speaking to the 'Daily News' last December.

"Mr Andrew Schoeman and his wife Nicolene are still the employees of '&Beyond' and are cooperating fully with the investigation.

Their move to another '&Beyond' lodge was planned earlier in the year and was in no way connected to the elephant incident. They were in Arusha until 12 December 2009," the company's statement maintained.

Late last year, a Parliamentary Committee led by Mr Job Ndugai was in Loliondo, to investigate cases of human harassment alleged to be engineered by the Arabian hunting firm, Ortello Business Corporation when they stumbled upon an elephant which had just died (or killed) near Kleins Camp.

The area DC, Mr Wawa Lali said the Kleins Camp manager, Mr Andrew Schoeman had also escaped to Botswana and the government was trying to bring him back to assist the authorities with investigation.

Kleins Camp, located near Ololosokwan village is a high-class tourist property operated by the '& Beyond' a South African chain formerly known as Conservation Cooperation Africa (CCA) or 'Conscorp.'

The 'Daily News', which published the first story, later contacted the '&Beyond' head offices in South Africa to find out what happened to their manager and if they planned to send him back.

The '& Beyond' office in South Africa stated that most officials were away on holiday until yesterday when the first response was received from Johannesburg.