Man fatally shot during buffalo hunt

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEKA 38-year-old man was fatally shot on Tuesday during an operation by the environment ministry to put down a stray buffalo at Mbwata village in the Ndiyona constituency.Katika Patrick Haushiku died after he was shot during the hunt, according to ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda.He said a team from the ministry accompanied members of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) on anti-poaching operations in the area in response to a report of a wounded buffalo roaming around cattle in the area.According to him, the buffalo was showing signs of aggression, posing a serious safety concern to residents.“Furthermore, buffalos are usually put down on an urgent basis to prevent possible outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in livestock. For this reason, a decision was made to put it down immediately.”Muyunda said community members were warned of the dangers and potential risk of this operation prior to the hunt and were requested to stay away from the area.“It is unfortunate that this request was not adhered to as some people flocked to the area where the team was searching for the buffalo, understandably with the hope to be the first ones to get meat once the buffalo was put down.”Stray bulletAccording to Muyunda, during the operation, the buffalo charged towards the officials, prompting one of them to shoot it.“Unfortunately, a stray bullet hit the deceased.”He said the ministry regrets the incident, which was purely accidental, and offers its condolences to the family and the community for the loss. Further investigations are being conducted by the relevant authorities. ellanie@namibiansun.com

Man fatally shot during buffalo hunt

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

Please login to leave a comment

Man fatally shot during buffalo hunt

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

Please login to leave a comment

Login