ANOTHER DEATH … Salambala Conservancy manager Fabian Mavuna has cautioned villagers to be on high alert following the death of another man (49) after he was attacked by an elephant in the Ngoma in Zambezi region on Monday.
Van der Walt was allegedly trophy hunting the elephant, which has been declared a ‘problem animal’, with a client, guided by Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism officials.
He was a Swakopmund resident.
Van der Walt’s body was transported to Okahao police mortuary for a post-mortem.
Axel Cramer, the president of Namibia Professional Hunting Association (Napha), yesterday confirmed that Van der Walt was trampled by an elephant during a legally sanctioned problem animal control hunt.
He said the hunt was conducted with a permit issued by the ministry.
“The allegations that this was an illegal or secretive hunt is not truthful. Please refrain from spreading unfounded allegations. Napha is deeply disturbed by the insensitive reading on social media. “We acknowledge that much work remains to educate the Namibian population about the significant contributions of trophy hunting to our community. “We thank the game guards for their bravery. Let us approach this matter with compassion and respect,” he said.
Cramer urged the public to bear in mind the grieving family and the broader implications of the tragedy.
“A family is grieving, including children who have lost a loved one. As Napha, we are committed to promoting ethical and sustainable hunting practices.
“Trophy hunting plays a crucial role in conservation efforts and supports local communities,” he said.
SECOND INCIDENT
Salambala Conservancy manager Fabian Mavuna has cautioned villagers to be on high alert, following the death of another man (49) after he was attacked by an elephant in the Ngoma area on Monday.
The man was identified by inspector Kisco Sitali as Albert Kapule, who was walking back to his village when he was attacked by the elephant.
Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Muvuna said there is a high influx of elephants and other wildlife from Botswana’s Chobe National Park in search of water due to drought.
“It’s the first human-wildlife conflict incident report for the year, which resulted in the tragic loss of life. Therefore, we would like to caution villagers to make sure they retreat to their homesteads while the sun is still out to avoid such incidents. The same goes for cattle herders, because the presence of lions is also high, so they need to return to their kraals early,” he said.
Mavuna said incidents of human-wildlife conflict in the Salambala Conservancy are not common, though isolated incidents occasionally take place.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda yesterday said the ministry has since identified the troublesome elephant and it was put down.
2 thoughts on “Elephants trample two men to death”
“A family is grieving, including children who have lost a loved one. As Napha, we are committed to promoting ethical and sustainable hunting practices. “Trophy hunting plays a crucial role in conservation efforts and supports local communities,” he said. …The human population is excessive and destroying the earth. Why not hunt humans?. How can one sell the earth?How can one justifykilling a life that does not want to die?. I believe the elephants sensed the intentions of the humans. I believe the elephants have found humans to be unkind, selfish, and murderous. A trophy hunter got back the horror he put out to otheranimals whose heads are on his wall. This is disgusting, even to omnivore humans. How sad that any human believes our life is precious, but other animals deserve to die.
Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog 
“A family is grieving, including children who have lost a loved one. As Napha, we are committed to promoting ethical and sustainable hunting practices. “Trophy hunting plays a crucial role in conservation efforts and supports local communities,” he said. …The human population is excessive and destroying the earth. Why not hunt humans?. How can one sell the earth?How can one justifykilling a life that does not want to die?. I believe the elephants sensed the intentions of the humans. I believe the elephants have found humans to be unkind, selfish, and murderous. A trophy hunter got back the horror he put out to otheranimals whose heads are on his wall. This is disgusting, even to omnivore humans. How sad that any human believes our life is precious, but other animals deserve to die.
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Wow, revenge of the elephants; trophy hunting is hunting the biggest and the best and depletes the gene pool; glad the trophy hunter was killed.
Unfortunately, the other elephant was slaughtered.
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