Stray jumbos kill villager, livestock

Stray jumbos kill villager, livestock 

By Anthony Mayunga

Posted  Tuesday, October 8  2013 

In Summary

• These elephants have been a menace in this area as they have destroyed many farms.

Serengeti. Residents in Makundusi Village, Natta Ward in Serengeti District, are counting losses after stray elephants invaded their village, killing one pastoralist.

More than 40 elephants said to have strayed from the Serengeti National Park, destroyed farms and killed some livestock, the invasion the residents claim to have inflicted heavy losses.

The village authority and game officers confirmed the incident to have taken place on October 3, saying that the elephants were in the village for two days.

The village chairman, Mr Juma Porini, said the elephants attacked pastoralists at a grazing ground near the village. “A villager was killed in a stampede,” he said.

“These elephants have been a menace in this area as they have destroyed many farms,” he added.

He said he had reported the incident to the police, Wildlife Management Authority (WMA) and Singita Grumeti Reserve for assistance, but none of them had offered timely assistance.

“They claimed they didn’t have enough ammunition for the operation and as a result the elephants have continued to destroy crops whose value can’t be established immediately,” he said.

The district’s acting game officer Mr Cathbert Boma admitted to have been informed about the elephants but no action could be taken because there was no vehicle to transport them to the village.