Elephant bull tramples conservationist to death

Beyers Coetzee (45) was in the process of rehabilitating the former Mawana Game Reserve near Nhlazatshe, by incorporating additional farms into the east of the reserve.
Approximately 35 of the Mawana elephants had already migrated to this area.
The new reserve, Loziba Wilderness is said to be comprised of large areas of dense bush and rugged terrain and was mostly unoccupied, said family attorney, Peter Rutsch.
Although the new reserve was pending establishment and fencing, he said the elephants were collared and closely monitored on a daily basis, even on an hourly basis when necessary.
Immediate steps were reportedly taken if and when the need arose, in instances when the elephants strolled to the nearby working farms.
This method worked well in keeping the elephants away from the adjacent farms and was in use for more than three years.
“The elephants were controlled if they approached the neighbouring working farms. This was done by the use of a helicopter, the beating of drums and by firing shots into the air,” explained Rutsch in a press release.
On the morning of the tragedy (February 18), the elephants broke a fence and entered one of the neighbouring working farms.
A group of five including Coetzee responded when they realised the elephants were moving into the farm, and managed to drive them away in a northerly direction.
Coetzee reported to his colleagues at about 10.37am that everything was under control and the elephants were moving quite slowly. The reason for their slow movement was the presence of several juvenile elephants.
He asked some of the workers at that stage to start repairs to the broken fence.
One of Coetzee’s colleagues was re-counting the elephants when two bulls unexpectedly emerged from the dense bush, which was on the blind side of the two men, and charged. Coetzee had very little time to react as the elephants were already upon him.
The dense bush impeded his movement and made it impossible for him to escape, and he was tragically trampled to death by one of the elephant bulls.
Coetzee was married to Una Coetzee, the daughter of the late Kerneels van der Walt, who established the reserve.
Coetzee was a qualified architect but had a passion and deep love for the bush and its wildlife.
He is survived by his wife and their two young children.
“He will be missed by all who knew him,” concluded the statement from Rutsch.
Coetzee will be laid to rest today in his hometown of Pretoria.

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