Stray lions kill 22 cattle
While the deputy environment minister Tommy Nambahu was on a fact-finding mission at Etosha's northern fence, he and his ministry are yet to meet a northern businessman who has reported five lions on his land for five months.
Namibian Sun learned that at the Mburru post near the Otjiwarunda salt pan where deputy environment minister Tommy Nambahu's familiarisation tour ended last week, there is a lioness with four cubs on private farmland. According to the farm manager Eino Ashipala, they did not hear about deputy minister's visit to the area so that the farm owner, Mburru Ismael, could get a chance to engage Nambahu about the five lions on his farm.
“A lioness came onto our farm in January this year and gave birth to four cubs. They are now growing up, eating lots of meat and being taught to hunt, and since February they have killed 22 cattle. We reported them to nature conservation officials, but they never even visited our farm,” Ashipala said.
Ashipala says that nature conservation only reacts if a rhino escapes from Etosha onto their farms, but not predators.
“We did not attempt to chase them or kill them because lions are protected animals. We do not want to go against the law.”
Businessman and farmer David Kambwa Sheehama, who shot three lions on his land recently, confirmed that the over 90-kilometre game-proof fence he had to erect in the tender covered the Ongandjera area and ended at the Mburru post.
Last week Nambahu undertook a fact-finding mission along the northern boundary fence of Etosha National Park.
The Ongandjera Traditional Authority hijacked a plan by the Nambahu to host a closed meeting with the two Ongandjera farmers, David Kambwa Sheehama and Andreas Ndakukamo who shot and killed a total of six lions that escaped from Etosha National Park.
Namibian Sun learned that Nambahu and his delegation, consisting of Oshana's regional councillor for the Okatyali constituency Joseph Mupetami and his personal assistant, was planning to host a closed meeting in Okahao last week Wednesday with the two farmers, but the traditional authority demanded to be represented at the meeting.
Nambahu was to inspect the security fence and engage in talks with farmers along the boundary to hear their views on human-wildlife conflict. The trip started at Onoolongo in Okatyali constituency and ended at the Mburru post in the Uuvudhiya constituency of the Oshana Region.
Nambahu's delegation proceeded to Okahao where a closed meeting with the two farmers was held. The meeting has been confirmed by the chairperson of the Ongandjera Traditional Authority, Johannes Kandombo and the two businessmen and farmers in the Ongandjera grazing area, David Kambwa Sheehama and Andreas Ndakukamo, each of whom killed three lions.
However, Nambahu said that it was not a closed or secret meeting, but a consultative meeting with farmers who own cattle posts near the national park. This he said, has come in the wake of the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict especially with the cattle post owners in areas bordering on national parks.
“I went to familiarise myself with the fence of Etosha National Park and engage community members living along the fence on how to live in harmony with wild animals. A meeting I attended with farmers and community members of Ongandjera in Okahao at the traditional authority hall was a success. The traditional authority was also represented by the chairperson,” Nambahu said
When Namibian Sun contacted Kandombo he said that there was no meeting held with community members and farmers.
“At first they only wanted farmers who killed lions, but we suggested that the traditional authority must also be represented. It was only a meeting of five people and did not even last long,” Kandombo said.
Kambwa and Ndakukamo also confirmed they attended the meeting. They said that it did not say anything about the lions they killed, but it was only to tell them how to live in harmony with wild animals.
“They only told us how to live in harmony with wild animals. They also made a proposal on how farmers can assist the government to fix the Etosha fence. They did not say anything about the lions that we killed,” Ndakukamo said.
Ndakukamo said that he will not accept the N$1 500 government offers to farmers as compensation for their animals killed by the State's predators. However, Nambahu said that this is not compensation but consolidation for loss of property.
“They must take me to that place where I can buy cattle for N$1 500. They must invest money in protection to avoid unnecessary tension with farmers. Our aim is not to kill, but to conserve nature, but since they do not respond on time this happens.
When contacted regarding the five lions at Mburru, Nambahu also said that the distance he covered from Onoolongo until the Mburru post the fence is in a sorry state, but he said that he was not aware of lions at the post where their tour ended.
“If this is a true story then we regret that the lions stayed that long in the post. I have to inquire from colleagues in the ministry to find out why they took too long to remove these lions.”
Mburru Ismael has to date not spoken with the deputy minister or his officals.
ILENI NANDJATO
“A lioness came onto our farm in January this year and gave birth to four cubs. They are now growing up, eating lots of meat and being taught to hunt, and since February they have killed 22 cattle. We reported them to nature conservation officials, but they never even visited our farm,” Ashipala said.
Ashipala says that nature conservation only reacts if a rhino escapes from Etosha onto their farms, but not predators.
“We did not attempt to chase them or kill them because lions are protected animals. We do not want to go against the law.”
Businessman and farmer David Kambwa Sheehama, who shot three lions on his land recently, confirmed that the over 90-kilometre game-proof fence he had to erect in the tender covered the Ongandjera area and ended at the Mburru post.
Last week Nambahu undertook a fact-finding mission along the northern boundary fence of Etosha National Park.
The Ongandjera Traditional Authority hijacked a plan by the Nambahu to host a closed meeting with the two Ongandjera farmers, David Kambwa Sheehama and Andreas Ndakukamo who shot and killed a total of six lions that escaped from Etosha National Park.
Namibian Sun learned that Nambahu and his delegation, consisting of Oshana's regional councillor for the Okatyali constituency Joseph Mupetami and his personal assistant, was planning to host a closed meeting in Okahao last week Wednesday with the two farmers, but the traditional authority demanded to be represented at the meeting.
Nambahu was to inspect the security fence and engage in talks with farmers along the boundary to hear their views on human-wildlife conflict. The trip started at Onoolongo in Okatyali constituency and ended at the Mburru post in the Uuvudhiya constituency of the Oshana Region.
Nambahu's delegation proceeded to Okahao where a closed meeting with the two farmers was held. The meeting has been confirmed by the chairperson of the Ongandjera Traditional Authority, Johannes Kandombo and the two businessmen and farmers in the Ongandjera grazing area, David Kambwa Sheehama and Andreas Ndakukamo, each of whom killed three lions.
However, Nambahu said that it was not a closed or secret meeting, but a consultative meeting with farmers who own cattle posts near the national park. This he said, has come in the wake of the increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict especially with the cattle post owners in areas bordering on national parks.
“I went to familiarise myself with the fence of Etosha National Park and engage community members living along the fence on how to live in harmony with wild animals. A meeting I attended with farmers and community members of Ongandjera in Okahao at the traditional authority hall was a success. The traditional authority was also represented by the chairperson,” Nambahu said
When Namibian Sun contacted Kandombo he said that there was no meeting held with community members and farmers.
“At first they only wanted farmers who killed lions, but we suggested that the traditional authority must also be represented. It was only a meeting of five people and did not even last long,” Kandombo said.
Kambwa and Ndakukamo also confirmed they attended the meeting. They said that it did not say anything about the lions they killed, but it was only to tell them how to live in harmony with wild animals.
“They only told us how to live in harmony with wild animals. They also made a proposal on how farmers can assist the government to fix the Etosha fence. They did not say anything about the lions that we killed,” Ndakukamo said.
Ndakukamo said that he will not accept the N$1 500 government offers to farmers as compensation for their animals killed by the State's predators. However, Nambahu said that this is not compensation but consolidation for loss of property.
“They must take me to that place where I can buy cattle for N$1 500. They must invest money in protection to avoid unnecessary tension with farmers. Our aim is not to kill, but to conserve nature, but since they do not respond on time this happens.
When contacted regarding the five lions at Mburru, Nambahu also said that the distance he covered from Onoolongo until the Mburru post the fence is in a sorry state, but he said that he was not aware of lions at the post where their tour ended.
“If this is a true story then we regret that the lions stayed that long in the post. I have to inquire from colleagues in the ministry to find out why they took too long to remove these lions.”
Mburru Ismael has to date not spoken with the deputy minister or his officals.
ILENI NANDJATO
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