https://www.iol.co.za/news/afr...ophy-hunter-28317901



Iconic Namibian elephant 'Voortrekker' killed by trophy hunter

AFRICA / 1 JULY 2019, 08:36 AM / JOHN GROBLER


Namibia's most famous elephant bull known as Voortrekker ("Pioneer") to thousands of tourists was shot last week by a trophy hunter, ten years after he first escaped the hunter's bullet.


The elephant was shot on a “problem elephant “permit, however it appears that this was false, as a letter from three communal conservancies opposing the hunt sent to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) earlier in the week shows.

"We understand that complaints have been received from communities living in the Omatjete area. The Ugab west population of desert elephants do not cross into those communities," wrote a group calling itself the Ugab Concerned Conservancies to MET deputy-director Christoph Munwela.



"It is not correct that elephants from areas outside of the zone of complaints are shot," they noted, warning that frightened elephants posed a far greater threat to their local communities.

"These elephants are our resources, and we object to them being hunted for problems caused by different populations of elephants," the people of Otjimboyo, Sorris Sorris and Tsiseb conservancies protested.

So why hunt out the most famous and last dominant bull, ignoring the massive negative publicity that would result?

MET PRO Romeo Muyanda said “It was shot to generate funds for the affected communities. We had the elephant hunted as a trophy….”. So it appears that the life of a magnificent elephant, worth an incalculable amount as a tourist attraction was sacrificed for a mere N$120 000, much of which will go to the Professional hunter and in licence fees to MET, with little trickling down to the communities, and that to the wrong communities.

He was, except in reputation, no longer a trophy, having broken one of his tusks off years ago.

With little or no real rainfall since 2014 and national elections looming later this year, the elephants appear to be paying the price and in Voortrekkers case, twice.

Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA), an NGO that helps manage elephant-human conflict in the area, in 2008 had raised U$12,000 to buy the tag for Voortrekker as a 'live trophy' from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET),

Voortrekkers' docile nature has likely made him the most-often photographed elephant in Namibia - and his death as problem elephant an especially poignant one.

Officially, the desert-adapted elephant herd that roams between the ephemeral river systems of the north-west are considered an anomalous population that, in the MET's opinion, do not belong there.

They are also regarded as a major management headache - and declaring them problem animals and having them shot has historically been the official preferred method of dealing with them.

Historically, by the early 1980s, they had all disappeared from the area, shot out by poachers and for sport by former apartheid-era Cabinet Ministers - and of course cattle farmers intent on driving them off their land and back into the Etosha National Park.

Voortrekker, however, was the pioneer who first started frequenting the area again in in the late 1980s, and later led a larger Etosha break-out group into the Brandberg and Ugab river areas where they eventually settled in.

Although there were initial conflicts between the local rural farmers and Voortrekker's herd, they had become a permanent feature and unique tourist attraction.

A geologist who often works in the area and knew the two herds said he suspected the smaller herd, aggressive and frightened by farmers shooting at them, may be the real cause of the Omatjete constituency's complaints that led to Voortrekker's death warrant being issued.

The writing appears to be on the wall for this small group of hardy survivors: there are now only 26 animals left, and of the three bulls left in the Ugab River, Voortrekker was one only two breeding bulls. All nine calves born since 2014 had died within a week, a sign of a distressed population.

So, how did Voortrekker suddenly become a problem animal - and then a trophy bull - after 30 years? That part remained an official mystery.

Conservation Action Trust

https://allafrica.com/stories/201907010306.html



Namibia: Uproar Over Elephant Killing

By Adam Hartman


The killing of an alpha elephant bull at Omatjete last week has been highly criticised by Namibian conservation and tourism groups.

The elephant, named 'Voortrekker' of the rare Ugab desert-adapted herd, was put down last Tuesday by a government-appointed hunter for N$120 000.

To Omatjete's Ohungu Conservancy, who claim to have been terrorised by Voortrekker and other elephants since last year, the killing could be considered "good riddance".

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism also maintains that it was the best option to deal with a problem animal.

Other conservancies near Omatjete, who claim to manage human-elephant relations, disagree with the ministry, saying the killing of Voortrekker was a "big blow".

The ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, told The Namibian yesterday that it was unfortunate that an elephant was killed, but it was justified by the fact that it was a problem animal.

He said Omatjete has seen many human-wildlife conflict incidents involving elephants, which have destroyed houses, water infrastructure, and even killed people and livestock.

In fact, Muyunda stated that the ministry spent N$4 million this year in building separate waterholes for elephants in an attempt to lure them away from the communities.



Some of this infrastructure was also destroyed recently, he said.

"This specific elephant was declared a problem animal. To generate funds for the affected communities, we had the elephant hunted as a trophy. It is better we did it this way than destroy it ourselves, and the only benefit would have been meat to the community," he reasoned, adding that after some marketing, a hunter was selected who would pay the best price, in this case N$120 000.

He said N$20 000 would go to the Game Products Trust Fund, while the rest (N$100 000) would be paid to the conservancy to restore infrastructure damaged by the elephant.

Muyunda added that many internationally-funded animal rights groups who oppose trophy hunting have expressed anger over the latest incident. The fact that conservation and tourism organisations have named the bull Voortrekker and giving it icon status also adds an emotional element.

"Our decision was not taken lightly, but was based on existing principles, policies and legislation for Namibian conservation. It was better for us to do it this way than to ignore it, and allow the community to take the law into their own hands and destroy all the elephants," he said.

According to him, 'Voortrekker' may have been gentle at times, but he also allegedly displayed aggressive behaviour, and seemingly instigated other bulls to follow suit.

The ministry's officials monitored the elephants around Omatjete for some time, even chasing them from the area, but they would just return. Voortrekker was apparently the main culprit.

Conservationists who work closely with the 32-member Ugab herd told The Namibian that there are questions whether Voortrekker, or any of the Ugab herd, were responsible for the destruction at Ohungu because they allegedly do not move that far. Elephants from Khorixas and Kamanjab are the suspected culprits.

Voortrekker was one of three dominant males. He was the oldest, and played an important role in controlling the younger bulls, and was also vital in the Ugab herd's breeding dynamics.

He used to be a 'trophy' animal because of his "massive tusks", but since he came to Ugab in 1995, both his tusks were damaged, possibly during fights with other bulls.

The manager of the Otjimboyo Conservancy near Omatjete, who also heads the Erongo Conservancies Association, Iyambo !Naruseb, told The Namibian that Voortrekker's killing was a "big blow" as it was not the solution to human-wildlife conflict.

He said the animal was an 'icon', and tourists paid a lot of money to see him and the other Ugab desert-adapted elephants.

Otjimboyo and the neighbouring Tsiseb Conservancy have worked closely with the NGO Elephant Human Relations Aid to manage human-wildlife-relations in a sustainable manner, and that these conservancies have adapted to the elephants which roam the area.

"If we can do it, other conservancies can learn too. Just killing the animals is not the solution," he said, adding that Voortrekker was worth much more than N$120 000 to the communities.



The chairman of the Zeraeua Traditional Authority at Omatjete, which also includes the Uhungu Conservancy, Fabianus Uaseuapuani, said the community was not against elephants, but against the destruction they caused.

"We do not want to kill them deliberately, but they are a problem we cannot control otherwise; a serious problem we have to live with every day. We are law-abiding citizens, so we will not take the law into our own hands. Let us, therefore, come forth with a lasting solution", he observed.

In February, The Namibian reported that the Omatjete community had threatened to kill elephants which come to their area if the government did not intervene in the increasing human-elephant conflict they are enduring.

A group calling themselves 'No More Elephants' told the ministry that they "need to get rid of these elephants as our communal land is drought-stricken and too small", that the number of elephants was increasing, and that the conflict has become too frequent.

There are about 4 000 people in the Omatjete area who are affected by this human-wildlife conflict.

"We hope the government will act, otherwise we fear the people will take the law into their own hands, and that will be the fault of the government," Uaseuapuani had warned.

https://africageographic.com/b...y-hunter-in-namibia/

Link has photos of the elephant before and after his tusks were broken off.

Does anyone know who the PH and the safari company are in this case?

$8600 US dollar trophy fee? Seems reasonable to me. Probably a short hunt!

Ski+3
Whitefish, MT

quote:

'Voortrekker' of the rare Ugab desert-adapted herd

The whole "desert lion and desert elephant" nonsense must stop. The "desert" designation was first coined by tour guides in the area and then quickly picked up by professional hunters who figured out that uneducated clients would pay more for a "desert lion and desert elephant". Now we have "the rare Ugab desert-adapted herd". Unfreakinbelievable.

For the record, the elephant in question was a non-breeding male that was causing problems. He's one of many other Kunene elephants that cause problems every day for the locals. And if it wasn't a hunter that took out the elephant, it would have been an MET officer and the locals would have received nothing in exchange.

This elephant was humanely put down. Having watched MET attempt to dispatch problem animals (flustercuck doen't even begin to describe their performance in the field) all the activists should be relieved it ended the way it did. But they won't be happy unless the elephant kills a PH or client. Seems animal welfare comes waaaaaaaaay before human welfare.

<Rant Mode Off>

We have now moved on with the striking title of "Alpha" bull.

I was always under the impression that an alpha male was the leader of a pack of wolves or baboons - I guess its never too late to learn something new.

Let the Poor old Bastard die of starvation......instead of being a cherished trophy.....the trophy fees going to serve the remaining elephants. NOTHING LIVES FOREVER and elephants die a horrible "natural" death..just like those 100 pounders in kruger.....
Let them starve to death for NOTHING, instead of them paying for the future of elephants in kruger.

Real smart....

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:

quote:

'Voortrekker' of the rare Ugab desert-adapted herd

The whole "desert lion and desert elephant" nonsense must stop. The "desert" designation was first coined by tour guides in the area and then quickly picked up by professional hunters who figured out that uneducated clients would pay more for a "desert lion and desert elephant". Now we have "the rare Ugab desert-adapted herd". Unfreakinbelievable.

For the record, the elephant in question was a non-breeding male that was causing problems. He's one of many other Kunene elephants that cause problems every day for the locals. And if it wasn't a hunter that took out the elephant, it would have been an MET officer and the locals would have received nothing in exchange.

This elephant was humanely put down. Having watched MET attempt to dispatch problem animals (flustercuck doen't even begin to describe their performance in the field) all the activists should be relieved it ended the way it did. But they won't be happy unless the elephant kills a PH or client. Seems animal welfare comes waaaaaaaaay before human welfare.

<Rant Mode Off>

Two factors from above that trump and should be controlling from above:

1) Non breeding male which means no net lose to the regional population, and 2) shot by hunter which brought in revenue to local community who had to live with this 11,000 pound pig (not scientifically a swine I know, but just imagine having all those US Feral hogs upsides and rooting around).

Third controlling factor provided by Jtex, 3) he will lose his teeth and starve to death. This is a fate of most animals. A deer will die one of four ways: hit by a truck, hunted, diease, or starving once the teeth goes. This elephant is no different.

I do not understand modern humanity.

Ahhhh, but the difference is, this elephant had a name and when an animal has a name, it's beloved by strangers from afar who have not a clue what human wildlife conflict is all about nor the true purpose and value of wildlife in Africa.

So let's all take a moment and reflect on the life that was Voortrekker.

May he rest in peace for all eternity. Amen.

An Elephant with broken tusks reduced to gnarled stumps can hardly qualify as a trophy; for some, maybe a Buffalo but not an Elephant (not in my books anyway).

This old warrior had probably reached the stage where he was unable to compete against other bulls, lost his "Alpha" status and was booted from the herd to go vent his frustrations elsewhere.

Unfortunately his tantrums reached intolerable levels and had to be dispatched.

Not for ele or buff for me. I get the reasoning for hunting the old warriors. But I’d be lying if I said they make a great trophy. A great hunt, yes.

In this case, the hunt IS the trophy.

But I thought all the bleeding heart liberals could grant eternal life to the "desert adapted, Alpha males" like this one? I'm confused?

When are the owners/managers of parks or private safe haven areas going to understand that a boundary is exactly that. It is the line where their rights and responsibilities begin and end. Beyond that physical or notional line they have no right to force their will on others so long as those others are behaving within the law of the land.

After “Cecil” the ARA all have figured out that if they can make one of their animals a “celebrity martyr” they are on the gravy train and can retire off the millions the gullible send them.

The sad thing is the emotions against hunts gets so ugly around the west that folks are choosing to not engage with these nuts.

Sounds to me like it's more of a pissing match over which bunch should have received the money.

That's actually good news in a way; a key anti-poaching/conservation strategy is to get the local communities to realize that poaching is a foolish thing; if they wait for the hunter, they get the meat and the money, even if it costs them some in terms of crop raiding and stock losses.

This is exactly why Botswana is reversing course.

So stick to the course and don't let the empty vessels distract you.

Russ that path has proven to be a double edged sword. There is no question that the Conservancies understand the value of their wildlife. After all this is what drives tourism and hunting revenues. Unfortunately, they have also learned that "problem" animals have great value as well. So now everyone has a "problem" elephant and/or lion. When their bank accounts become drained, the Conservancies suddenly have a rash of "problem" animals for PHs to dispatch. MET has become complicit in this process, especially with certain PHs.

The elephant that was culled was a problem animal and the Community had an easy path to making some bucks so.... bang.

I have a *.pdf copy of the official statement/press release from the Namibian MET. Since you can't copy/paste from a pdf file directly to the comments section here and I don't do any image/file hosting services, If someone is willing and can post it up, I'll send it to them.

He basically is telling the anti's to piss off.

Just another nail in the trophy hunting coffin.

Just say'n.

Please carry on gentlemen.

"We have met the enemy and he is us." (Walt Kelly)

The fact that this elephant had broken tusks indicates that the hunter was not a “trophy “ hunter. The hunter paid a trophy fee for an animal with limited trophy quality in order to help the local people. Am I missing something? Why hasn’t this argument been raised?