Locals ‘lose’ free meat as elephants return to Kruger
Attempts by community members to lead elephants away from their rescuers were foiled by authorities.
Six elephants are believed to have exited the Kruger National Park through a broken fence near Phabeni Gate and crossed a dry riverbed early yesterday morning.
SANParks and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) worked for several hours to safely return the elephants to the park.
While many are relieved by their safe return, some community members from Bushbuckridge and Hazyview expressed frustration, as they believe the elephants should have been killed to provide food for their families.
“We tried for two hours to guide the elephants back, but community members blocked their path with bakkies and armed themselves with axes and machetes to kill the elephants for meat. The elephants became stressed, endangering people.
“The police were called to control the crowd. Fortunately, the elephants were unharmed and were returned to the park,” said MTPA spokesperson, Simphiwe Shungube.
Many believed the elephants would not make it through the night, but SANParks announced their safe return at about 20:40 yesterday.
SANParks’ spokesperson Isaac Phaahla condemned the community members’ actions, urging them to avoid interfering with authorities as it endangers the animals and people.
Some community members who spoke to Lowvelder expressed their desperation for free wild meat due to high prices in stores. One individual, armed with an axe, had hoped to obtain elephant meat for his family and to be able to sell some to the other villagers.
“It’s rare for an elephant to leave the park. When I saw them out, I joined in the hope of getting something for my family and making some money. I spent the entire night on the road, hoping they would take one down, but it didn’t happen,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Another community member, Stanley Mgiba, said once wild animals cross into residential areas, they should be killed for people to enjoy their meat.
“I was disappointed when I saw the police and rangers chasing them back to the park. I have been in some areas where elephants were taken down and their meat given to the people residing next to the park. But the good thing is that no one was injured and the animals are back in the park, though we still don’t have meat to eat,” he said.
Phaahla said efforts are underway to repair the broken fences through which the elephants escaped.
“The river levels are low, allowing the elephants to cross. We have since fixed the exit point and will monitor the area.”
@lowvelder WATCH: A SANParks helicopter attempts to push back one of the elephants that escaped from the Kruger National Park on Wednesday, September 4. #SNAPARKS #Eliphants #wildlife #KNP #krugernationalpark
Read original story on www.citizen.co.za