A 62-year-old man of Etsha 1 village in the North West is lucky to be alive, surviving a terrifying encounter with an angry elephant on Sunday morning (October 20, 2024).
Confirming the human/wildlife altercation in the small settlement, some 250km from Maun, Gumare Station Commander, Chenamo Orateng, revealed it occurred at around 08:00 in the morning when the old man was searching for his donkeys.
“What was reported to us is that he left his home on foot and, somewhere near the village’s cemetery, an elephant emerged from behind the trees and attacked him,” stated Orateng, adding the man suffered broken ribs and a cracked thighbone among other injuries.
Left for dead by the giant jumbo, which is said to have retreated back into the bush after the brutal attack, the man managed to reach out for his mobile phone and called for help.
“The cemetery is not far from the village; in fact, it is located at the furthest end of the village, so the rescue was easier and faster,” continued the top cop.
The injured man is currently recuperating at Gumare Primary Hospital, where his condition is described as serious but stable.
Meanwhile, wildlife rangers reportedly tracked down the animal and gunned it down later that same morning.
Asked about incidents of human-wildlife conflict in his policing area, Orateng explained the Gumare area is in a bushy and wildlife zone hence wild animal attacks on people are very common.
“If it is not an elephant attacking a human being, it is a crocodile, or leopard, or a buffalo. There is plenty of dangerous wild game out there and that is why we keep advising people to be more vigilant at all times when they are out in the bush.”
On average, 20 people are killed by elephants in Botswana every year.
The revelation was made last month by Environment and Tourism Minister, Wilhemina Nnaniki Makwinja, in Maun during the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) African Elephant Dialogue.
During the convention, Makwinja expressed concern over some Western European countries that impose legislations which make management of these animals unsustainable.
Botswana is home to an estimated 130 000 elephants out of 450 000 global herd.
This is the largest herd by far in any country around the world, including within Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA).
KAZA is a borderless, free roaming area for wild animals between five SADC countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Angola.
The Botswana government spends an estimated P30 million a year on compensation alone due to animal attacks on people and their properties.
