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Namibia: Elephant Kills Trophy Hunter

By Tutaleni Pinehas


An Argentinian hunter was trampled to death by an elephant, while a tourist from Spain died in a road accident on Saturday.

Police yesterday identified the hunter as Jose Monzalvez (46).

Monzalvez was killed at Farm Mopane, about 70 kilometres north-west of Kalkfeld.

According to police, Monzalvez, who had a permit to hunt in Namibia, worked for an oil company.

Otjozondjupa regional police spokesperson warrant officer Maureen Mbeha confirmed the incident to Nampa yesterday.

She said preliminary police investigations indicated that five professional trophy hunters - three Namibians and two Argentines - were following a herd of elephants on the farm.

One of the elephants apparently saw the hunters from a distance, and before they could locate a proper spot from where to shoot the identified elephant they had to kill, the chase started.

The elephant chased them, and caught up with Monzalvez, whom it trampled to death.



Meanwhile, the Spanish tourist (31) died when a bus carrying 23 tourists from Spain and two Zimbabweans rammed into a pick-up that had four French tourists - two men and two women.

Police said the bus, driven by a South African (44), rolled several times. sixteen passengers sustained serious injuries, while nine sustained slight injuries.

The woman is the second tourist to die in a road accident within five days after an Israeli (72) died in hospital on 8 August when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving.

The accident happened near Oshakati, and left three other Israelis with varying degrees of injury.

Last week Wednesday, Omusati police spokesperson warrant officer Linekela Shikongo said an Israeli tourist, Amos Gal (72), who was driving a pick-up vehicle towards Oshakati with three fellow Israeli passengers aged 66, 72 and 73, swerved to avoid hitting a donkey.

He then lost control, resulting in the vehicle overturning.

The four were rushed to the Oshikuku Roman Catholic Hospital a few kilometres away, but Gal succumbed to his injuries upon arrival at the health centre.


Two male suspects, both aged 22, were arrested in Windhoek on Thursday last week when they tried to rob tourists on Thursday on the B1 road.

They are expected to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court today.

Police also recovered eight elephants tusks, one pangolin skin, a hyena skin and 26 objects suspected to be unpolished diamonds at Rundu on Thursday.

Four suspects - three Namibians, aged 38, 45, 43, and a 41-year-old Angolan - were arrested.

They are expected to appear in the Rundu Magistrate's Court today.

The value of the game products was estimated at N$4 million

In another incident, police on Friday recovered three pangolin skins valued at N$30 000 at Rundu from a 22-year-old Angolan and three Namibians aged 41, 48 and 43.

- Additional reporting by Nampa