JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Newcastle | Friday
KWAZULU-Natal wildlife rangers have been forced to kill an aggressive bull elephant after it refused to be driven back into the park from which it had escaped.
The shooting follows the first large-scale escape from the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi park by elephants since they were introduced to in 1980. The tusks were removed and the meat given to local communities.
Wildlife agency spokesman Jeff Gaisford said a total of 13 elephants escaped from the 96 000 ha between Christmas and New Year after floods along the Black Umfolozi River damaged fences.
Patrolling field rangers spotted the spoor of the first group of three elephants at the Ngolotshe crossing in the Mbhuzane section on the western side of Umfolozi. Park conservators then used a helicopter to drive the elephants 2,5km back into the Park, where they moved into a patch of thick bush on the southern bank of the river.
A fence-line maintenance crew reported that a second group of nine elephants had left the park through a flood-damaged section of the Nqutshini fence-crossing of the Black Umfolozi River the following day.
Rangers drove the elephants 3km back through the Nqutshini fence-crossing, but a solitary male – going breeding condition – resisted all attempts to drive him back into the park.
“The elephant was by this stage becoming extremely aggressive, and was posing a threat to local people who were unfortunately beginning to flock to the area,” said Gaisford.
“The option of darting and transporting the elephant was not feasible due to the rugged and inaccessible nature of the terrain and the animal was then destroyed in accordance with KZN Wildlife policy on dangerous animals in populated areas in order to prevent a possible tragedy.
“We’re obviously not very happy about the incident, but had no real other options,” said Gaisford.
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park currently has an estimated 300 elephants and has never previous experienced mass escapes. The park received 10 mature bull elephants from the Kruger National Park last year in an attempt to stop young elephant males in premature breeding condition from killing rhinos – after they killed 47 rhinos.
KZN Wildlife staff in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park continue to monitor the interaction between the new bulls, the other younger, males and the rhinos. – African Eye News Service
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