Lions and Elephants terrorising Kavango East residents.

By: Nahum Kantene

Wild animals roaming the village threaten residents in the Kavango East Residents, Mukwe constituency. The animals consist of lions and elephants that destroy crops and intimidate residents in the village. Kavongo East regional councillor Damian Maghambayi said he knows the complaints and reported
them to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Namibia. He told Confidante that he was waiting for responses from the ministry.

“This matter has been going on for a year now it was reported, but nothing has been done, elephants and lions are roaming around our village, and terrorising people’s lives and destroying crops, the Ministry of Environment & Tourism is hereby directed to act immediately to avoid loss of life and destruction of property”. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, said that the ministry implemented a national policy designed to guide the management of recurring human-wildlife conflict situations across the country. The initiative helps in various ways, including crop damage, livestock losses, injuries to people, and even the tragic loss of life.
Muyunda said the drought has worsened the situation of human-wildlife conflict in most parts of the country over the years.

The conflict ranges from the destruction of crops and water installation to the loss of livestock and homesteads and injuries or loss of human lives, Muyunda stated He said a national conference on Human Wildlife Conflict Management was convened last year, bringing together stakeholders to seek solutions to address these conflicts collaboratively.
He indicated that the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has managed forestry resources after this component was transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform. He added that Namibia remains determined to address the issue of human-wildlife conflict systematically, seeking to strike a balance between conservation efforts and community livelihoods. “This is due to the growth of human and wildlife populations, unplanned and expanded agricultural activities and industrial activities, which led to an increase in human encroachment of previously wild and uninhabited areas”, Muyunda explained. He continues that competition for the available natural inhabitants and resources and the effect of climate change are exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts in the country.