Another elephant was found poached in the Kavango West Region on Tuesday afternoon.
The latest poaching incident was discovered as Deputy Environment and Tourism Minister Tommy Nambahu visited the Kavango West Region, to address the increasing incidents of human-wildlife conflict involving elephants.
The elephant is suspected to have been gunned down by community members in the area of Manyomdo village.
It was found with its trunk and tail cut off.
The tusks were, however, still in tack.
Large pools of fresh blood were found surrounding the dead elephant, where the trunk was cut off.
The elephant was also covered with branches, indicating that the suspects wanted to return at a later stage, probably for the tusks or even for the meat.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda confirmed the incident to Namibian Sun and said police investigations are continuing, with leads being followed up to identify the suspects.
Nambahu also expressed his shock over the incident.
He told Namibian Sun that there had been fruitful discussions with the community and traditional authorities, regarding human-wildlife conflict.
Nambahu visited the Musese Irrigation Scheme, which is situated about 90km west of Rundu, after a second case of illegal hunting of specially protected game was opened against project manager Tulio Pereira. This was after he shot another elephant recently.
A large group of elephants had recently terrorised villagers and damaged crops in the villages surrounding the irrigation scheme.
Pereira was alerted, and then shot an elephant.
The elephant was shot without roping in ministry officials, who are mandated to manage human-wildlife conflict.
The elephant was not declared a problem animal, but was shot on the pretext of it being involved in human-wildlife conflict.
Nambahu said there has been a lot of misinformation with regards to incidents of human-wildlife conflict and that education needs to take place. He said that assessments need to be done with regard to elephants in the region, and why they are acting in the way they are.
Nambahu added that humans act defensively when they see elephants and just shoot.
He pointed out that people need to realise that elephants move in a certain way, and that they therefore need to prepare for this behaviour.
Nambahu stressed that elephants are habitual animals, travelling through corridors, and therefore people that live in these areas need to be prepared.
He said that currently people are taking reactive measures, but they should focus on preventative strategies.
Nambahu said further that measures should be put in place, such as water points for elephants in particular areas.
He also pointed out that there is the issue of the elephant population increasing, and this can become a dangerous situation.
“We must see what can be done to bring this under control.”
He said that this can even become a business opportunity, and people should look into targeting this market, as there are many options to look at.
He stressed that there is no way that the ministry officials can be everywhere all the time, and therefore there must be a concerted effort to protect the animals.
ELLANIE SMIT