Africa Parks eliminates killer elephant in Nkhotakota Game Reserve

 

By Fredrick Manda, MANA

African Parks, managers of Nkhotakota Game Reserve, has killed the vicious elephant that trampled to death a 21-year-old woman, Sabitha Banda, last week at Bamba Village in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Mwadzama in Nkhotakota District.

Park Manager, Sam Kamoto confirmed the incident, saying the action was taken to save people’s lives from such vicious elephant because it has been reportedly escaping the game reserve on several occasions.

“We have managed to kill the elephant that killed the woman on Friday as one way of protecting people’s lives. We used a helicopter from Liwonde National Park to to trace and kill this elephant,” he said.

Kamoto has since assured people surrounding the game reserve that African Parks would do everything possible to make sure that people are protected from wildlife. 

The death of the woman sparked riots whereby angry villagers torched two vehicles belonging to African Parks and assaulted two officials from African parks in the process.

Village Headman Bamba said people around the game reserve continue living in fear because of perpetual conflicts between human and wildlife in the area especially during each growing season. 

“People are living in fear in my area. They are always afraid of these elephants that they may attack them. We want authorities to intervene and do away with this problem,” he said.

After the woman’s unfortunate death, angry villages attacked Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve field operations manager, David Robertson and his game ranger, Thomson Mizeck by stoning and hacked them with panga knives. 

The two had visited Bamba Village to establish what happened for the elephant to attack the woman.

Malawi News Agency (MANA) established that the deceased, from Nambamba Village in T.A. Chakhaza in Dowa, and her newly-wedded husband, Gostino Yosefe (23), of Mwanza Village, T.A. Kayembe in same district, went to the field to cultivate where the elephant ambushed them.

The husband told MANA said he saw the elephant behind his back coming towards them and he immediately grabbed his wife’s arm and fled into a nearby bush so that the elephant should not see them.

“But my wife got scared and slipped out of my hand and started fleeing but unfortunately the elephant saw her and charged at her and crashed her to death,” the husband had said.

It is reported that Robertson and Mizeck, in the company of police officers and a health worker had gone to for a postmortem and appropriate action soon after the elephant had killed the lady.

But the incensed villagers attacked them, burned the two vehicles belonging to African Parks to ashes, worth over K120 million.

The police escort they had was overwhelmed and had to call for reinforcement to calm the situation but all in vain. 

However, it took the intervention of Nkhotakota District Commissioner Medson Matchaya, Council officials, political and traditional leaders who went under heavy police escort, including the Police Officer in Charge, District Health Officer and Nkhotakota African Parks Manager among others to calm the situation down.