Elephant visits mine in Phalaborwa
Occasional wildlife in the streets of Phalaborwa is something that residents are quite used to.
A video of an elephant passing through Foskor Mine recently touched most who saw the confused animal roaming through the mine’s workshop. Inus Verhoef who took a video of the elephant, said no one was hurt, and vehicles parked outside were also untouched. According to Verhoef, elephants and other wildlife pass through the mine regularly but will not harm anyone. Eugene Troskie of Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) gave the following tips when coming across wildlife.
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“Do not try to approach and chase the animal, if you are not trained to handle animals, you might harm yourself or other people. “Call Limpopo Economic Development, Environment, and Tourism (LEDET) or PNHF, Phalaborwa Community Patrol Forum, or the traffic department to control traffic if the animal is on the road or call any other organisation that is qualified to deal with animals,” he said.
Troskie stated that usually, wildlife will find themselves in gardens or on the road looking for food or water, but not to harm anyone. “Last year we were called to a home where an elephant and its calves were in a family garden,” he said. Call Dirk de Klerk from LEDET at 015 781 6887 or 082 801 0013, PNHF at 082 614 3688, or Phalaborwa CPF at 071 044 4850.
