Giraffe meat was anti-poaching unit rations

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) says a giraffe carcass discovered in a freezer at one of its resorts was not illegally hunted.

This was said yesterday by NWR following an investigation into a video circulated on social media.

The video, filmed by a guest at Namutoni in Etosha National Park, showed the carcass in a freezer at the resort's tourist shop.

NWR last week said that it would investigate the matter in conjunction with wardens of the environment ministry.

According to NWR spokesperson Mufuro Nesongano the investigation found that the carcass did not come from a poached animal.

“Our investigation was able to conclude that there had been a misunderstanding by the guest who filmed the video of the carcass. The carcass was being stored in our freezers for the anti-poaching unit within the Etosha National Park,” said NWR acting managing director Matthias Ngwangwama.

He said the meat ended up being temporarily stored in a storeroom in the shop while resort staff were creating space in the freezers of the kitchen.

“I would, therefore, like to caution our guests that in the future they should first verify the information they gather or are told before sharing it on social media. I believe that through this, such misunderstandings can be handled better, which will avoid the company's and country's name being unnecessarily damaged in the process.”

Questions posed to environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda about the hunting of the giraffe were not answered by the time of going to press.