Re: Namibia’s desert elephants back on the butcher’s block
Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 2:46 pm
The point is that the Omatjete community experiences permant trouble with elephants and wanted and still want government to intervene and find a permanent solution (driving the elephants away). It's a Human Wildlife conflict at its best and has very little to do with hunting.
Elephants have killed a community member and livestock and destroyed several houses and infrastructure (water points and fences), people are fed up with aggressive elephants and there is no solution on the horizon.
The opposing communities from the neighbouring conservancies have the benefit of the elephants as they earn tourist dollars whereas this community has the costs only.
MET is aware of the problem and their solution is apparently to provide more water points in the region.
https://kundana.com.na/posts/human-wild ... -in-erongo
IMO, this will not solve the problem because the elephants will only expand their range with the artificial water points available and don't distinguish beween the water points bulit for them and the water points for humans and their livestock.
There are certainly problem elephants in the area, and whether "Voortrekker" was one of them is questionable, but the hunting debate does not hit the problem, IMO
Elephants have killed a community member and livestock and destroyed several houses and infrastructure (water points and fences), people are fed up with aggressive elephants and there is no solution on the horizon.
The opposing communities from the neighbouring conservancies have the benefit of the elephants as they earn tourist dollars whereas this community has the costs only.
MET is aware of the problem and their solution is apparently to provide more water points in the region.
https://kundana.com.na/posts/human-wild ... -in-erongo
IMO, this will not solve the problem because the elephants will only expand their range with the artificial water points available and don't distinguish beween the water points bulit for them and the water points for humans and their livestock.
There are certainly problem elephants in the area, and whether "Voortrekker" was one of them is questionable, but the hunting debate does not hit the problem, IMO