The owner of Living with Elephants Foundation Botswana, was found dead in the bush this past Friday, his wife Sandi Groves confirmed through the foundation’s facebook page.
According to Sandi Groves, her husband, Douglas Alan Groves is suspected to have been killed by a bush elephant in the delta.
Douglas, fondly known as Doug had been working and studying elephants since 1972.
Information retrieved from the foundation page suggests that he had worked with elephants in zoological and wildlife parks on the west coast of the United States of America for 15 years before relocating to Africa in 1987 to work on a film project involving elephants.
“Doug has since been involved in numerous research, educational, film and eco-tourism projects involving African Elephants,” his profile reads in part.
“The moment in life he finds the most fulfilling are when with an elephant trunk gently resting in his hand, he walks the elephants to the bush to find their food for the day, while he shares with visitors walking beside him his knowledge of the elephant habits and needs and the dangers facing them,” the profile further reads.
Nonetheless the police have not yet confirmed whether or not Groves was killed by the tuskers he had grown to love over the many years he had studied them.
In fact they are investigating the case to confirm whether there was no foul play.
“He was found dead, but we do not know the cause of death because there are no eye witnesses; nobody witnessed the alleged elephant attack on him. What was reported to us is that he was alone when tragedy struck,” explained Officer Commanding for Police District No.5, Peter Gochela, in a brief interview in Maun.
Gochela further explained that Groves’ corpse is to undergo post-mortem to establish the cause of death.
Living with Elephants foundation is located in Matlapana ward in Maun.