Minister questioned over double standards on handling elephant

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) lawmaker Rodrick Likando has questioned why the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism failed to apply the same non-lethal interventions used in the Zambezi Region to address human–elephant conflict, following the killing of an elephant bull near Onawa village in Omusati last weekend. Speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Likando said there was a similar situation in the Zambezi region where many elephants were roaming around villages and destroying crops. However, Likando added, in several instances, the elephants were simply guided away from the communities.He pressed the environment minister Indileni Daniel to explain why that approach was not taken this time. “Why is this kind of intervention not being applied now in Zambezi, where we currently have many elephants?” Likando asked.Additional risksDaniel responded that the situation in Omusati was markedly different from that in Zambezi. “Regarding comparisons to the Zambezi Region, where similar animals are not put down, the circumstances there are completely different, Communities in Zambezi live closely with wildlife and have learned to coexist. Yes, damages are reported there, but the solution is not always to kill the animal. Each case is assessed individually,” Daniel said. The minister further said this particular incident did not set a precedent for other regions. "While elephants are present across several regions, the community’s behaviour differs. In some areas, the reaction of the people created additional risks, and our concern was to prevent any loss of life.” Daniel further confirmed that some households were damaged during the incident. “The affected communities were understandably anxious, people were following the elephant, making noise, and taking pictures, which stressed the animal. Our main priority was to protect human life. That is why the elephant had to be put down. Even though our staff and the police were on site, the situation had become difficult to manage, especially as the animal moved into a more densely populated area,” she said. Postmortem meetingDaniel also addressed other matters raised in the House, including the recent Etosha National Park fire and the ministry’s ecotourism strategies. “Yes, the first question relates to the calamity and the mitigation measures in place regarding the fire in Etosha, as well as the eco-tourism strategies we have implemented,” she said. According to Daniel, the ministry’s management team convened a post-mortem meeting to assess the issues, to determine what caused the fire, identify any loopholes in the policies, rules, and regulations, and evaluate what the staff were supposed to do but did not.“Once that report is finalised, since the meeting was only held on Monday, it will be made available to Parliament. We are not leaving the matter unattended. The meeting was convened, the issues discussed, and a comprehensive report will be provided, not only to parliament but also to the nation, which deserves to know what exactly happened and how best we can move forward,” she said.Serious threatThe minister noted that tourism in Etosha remains steady. “Normally, October and November are low tourism periods, and we have not observed any decline in visitors. In fact, it appears that despite some areas being burnt, the movement of animals to other parts has given visitors more opportunities to see a variety of wildlife. One thing we must remember is that nature heals itself,” she explained. She admitted that the fire was a sad incident, however, Daniel added, they have already received rainfall at the Etosha National Park, and the animals seem to be thriving once again.In a statement released on Sunday, Daniel said the elephant bull that was put down near Onawa village in Omusati posed a serious threat to human life. “The ministry had to take a difficult but necessary decision to kill the animal after several days of unsuccessful attempts to guide it safely back to Etosha National Park. This decision was taken with great reluctance and only after several days of intensive monitoring and repeated unsuccessful efforts to safely guide the animal back to the national park,” she said.Daniel explained that the elephant was first sighted in the Otjivarunda area following wildfires that spread from Etosha into the north-central regions. Driven by instinct, it moved northwards, away from the burnt terrain. On 8 October, it was seen near Onkani village, heading northwest. “MEFT officials tracked its movement closely and attempted to redirect it towards the park. Despite these efforts, the elephant continued advancing into densely populated areas, including Onaanka and Onaanda villages, before crossing both the Oshakati–Okahao and Oshakati–Outapi roads,” Daniel said. By 11 October, the elephant had reached Onawa village, near schools and residential areas. “With panic escalating among residents and the risk to human life becoming imminent, MEFT was compelled to make the difficult decision to put the animal down to prevent potential harm,” she stated.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Minister questioned over double standards on handling elephant

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-21

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Minister questioned over double standards on handling elephant

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-21

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