Farmers want Waterberg buffaloes gone

Livestock farmers have called for the culling or removal of the entire buffalo population of the Waterberg Plateau Park. This was one of the recommendations made by farmers attending the Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO) Congress yesterday, following reports of several break-outs by buffaloes from Waterberg this year. That resulted in some farms in the area being quarantined. The affected farmers could not market their animals and consequently suffered severe losses. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr Malan Lindeque, says the ministry has been working on steps to address the situation, but admitted that the increasing buffalo population in Waterberg is a concern. One of the steps that the ministry is considering is to acquire additional land next to Waterberg for the growing buffalo population, while another solution is to decrease the more than 900 buffaloes in the park. Speaking at the congress on behalf of the Okahandja Farmers’ Association, Martin Hilbert said the question that needs to be asked is whether the increasing buffalo population has become unsustainable and whether farmers are suffering as a result. He recommended that the buffaloes should be removed entirely, or that the entire herd be culled, because of the threat they pose to the meat industry. Buffaloes are carriers of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). It was pointed out, though, that the Waterberg buffaloes are FMD free. Suggestions were made such as affixing ear tags to park buffaloes, but other farmers were adamant that the animals don’t belong in the park. “The buffaloes must go. The government cannot handle them and the numbers will only increase again,” one farmer said. Another famer expressed concern over how the situation will be handled, saying Namibia should be careful and consider how measures would affect the trophy-hunting and tourism industries. Mecki Schneider, chairperson of the LPO, said when a buffalo breaks out of Waterberg the surrounding farms are locked down until it is found, and the process could take two months. “This is a N$5 billion industry and we will have to reach consensus with the government how the problem will be addressed,” Schneider said. Lindeque expressed concern about the fact that farmers have made these recommendations. “This is a radical request and it is not a very welcoming one,” he said. He said it is an overstatement to say that buffaloes breaking out from Waterberg are threatening the N$5 billion meat industry. He said only three to five such have been recorded in recent years and all the buffaloes were found, tested negative for FMD and were put down. “How can one than say it is a threat for the entire meat industry? I am not saying that there are no farmers who were not negatively impacted and incurred damages.” Lindeque also pointed out that eland, whose population in the park is growing, are responsible for breaking the fence. He said although the ministry has decided to decrease the eland population, it has not been possible due to the drought this year. According to Lindeque, the Namibia Agricultural Union together with the Ministry of Environment inspected the park fence and no problems were reported. “I will, if needed, also inspect the fence to see whether double fencing or electrification is needed anywhere.” He further said Namibia is a leader in trophy hunting and it should be careful, given the recent global outcry against the industry, that it does not make the wrong decision with regard to the buffaloes. According to him, a larger hunting quota for buffaloes will be set next year. There are more than 900 buffaloes in the park and 20 hunting quotas will be issued. ELLANIE SMIT