Crocs and hippos shot after attacks

OFFICIALS of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) have shot six crocodiles and two hippos believed to be responsible for the death of eight people in the Okavango and Caprivi Regions over the past ten weeks.

Minister Konjore issued a stern warning to communities living along the Okavango and Zambezi Rivers to be very careful when carrying out activities along river banks and in rivers. He said the six crocodile attacks were mainly on children swimming or bathing in the two rivers, while two people lost their lives through hippo attacks while fishing.”The situation is worrisome and raises many concerns,” the Minister said at a media briefing yesterday.”I would like to caution all communities living along the rivers in the north-eastern regions and the general public not to take risks that may result in further loss of human lives,” Konjore urged.Parents and community leaders should warn all people living along the rivers to be careful when approaching the water.”Bathing and swimming is dangerous and people, especially children, put their lives at risk to be caught and killed by crocodiles,” the Minister added.The latest victim of a deadly crocodile attack was a fourteen-year old girl from Mupini village in the Okavango Region, when she swam in the river last Friday.According to the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management in the Ministry, Colgar Sikopo, four crocodiles have been shot since the recent attacks which started this October.Human remains were found in two of them.The Ministry does not pay compensation to families who lose loved ones through animal attacks, but provided N$5 000 in funeral assistance to each of the eight families.”We have received several requests from the public for compensation for damages caused by wildlife to humans, but one cannot count the loss of human life in monetary terms,” Minister Konjore pointed out.The Ministry is developing a policy to deal with human-wildlife conflict, this will cover a monitoring and reporting system, self-insurance schemes and alternative mitigation measures,” Konjore added.Sikopo said the two separate hippo attacks came from bulls that lived alone in the Zambezi River.”It happens that hippo bulls fight over territory and the one who loses, moves away to a new spot,” Sikopo told reporters at the briefing.Such bulls are quite aggressive and our officials shot them after they were identified by the communities,” Sikopo explained.Hippos have been specially protected animals in Namibia since Independence after they were nearly extinguished by poachers and the military during the protracted liberation struggle.Crocodiles experienced the same fate and have the status of “protected species” in Namibia.Since 2000, when Angolan Unita rebels were driven away from the Angolan side of the Okavango River and in the wake of successful conservation efforts by the MET, crocs and hippos have increased in number.In the meantime a generation of rural people has grown up hardly aware of the danger these animals can pose.This despite the fact different ethnic groups have lived in co-existence with wild animals in these areas for hundreds of years.According to Sikopo, funds from the Ministry’s Game Products Trust Fund are to be used to fence off some areas in the water along river banks so that villagers can wash, swim and land their mukoros (dug outs).The tourism sector is worried that the recent shooting of the problem crocodiles and hippos might escalate into a larger “clean up”exercise.”Villagers are telling us that MET officials can shoot any crocodile on sight now and tourists visiting our lodge are concerned as they find this would be a pity” a lodge owner east of Rundu told The Namibian yesterday.However, Sikopo assured reporters that only crocodiles and hippos that caused problems would be shot.One lodge owner in the Caprivi has a theory that high level of illegal fishing has left crocodiles literally hungry.Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the lodge owner said they had fewer tourists coming this year doing fishing on the Zambezi, since fish had become extremely scarce.”Crocodiles mainly feed on catfish and there hardly any catfish left,” the lodge owner told this newspaper yesterday.He said the six crocodile attacks were mainly on children swimming or bathing in the two rivers, while two people lost their lives through hippo attacks while fishing.”The situation is worrisome and raises many concerns,” the Minister said at a media briefing yesterday.”I would like to caution all communities living along the rivers in the north-eastern regions and the general public not to take risks that may result in further loss of human lives,” Konjore urged.Parents and community leaders should warn all people living along the rivers to be careful when approaching the water.”Bathing and swimming is dangerous and people, especially children, put their lives at risk to be caught and killed by crocodiles,” the Minister added.The latest victim of a deadly crocodile attack was a fourteen-year old girl from Mupini village in the Okavango Region, when she swam in the river last Friday.According to the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management in the Ministry, Colgar Sikopo, four crocodiles have been shot since the recent attacks which started this October.Human remains were found in two of them.The Ministry does not pay compensation to families who lose loved ones through animal attacks, but provided N$5 000 in funeral assistance to each of the eight families.”We have received several requests from the public for compensation for damages caused by wildlife to humans, but one cannot count the loss of human life in monetary terms,” Minister Konjore pointed out.The Ministry is developing a policy to deal with human-wildlife conflict, this will cover a monitoring and reporting system, self-insurance schemes and alternative mitigation measures,” Konjore added.Sikopo said the two separate hippo attacks came from bulls that lived alone in the Zambezi River.”It happens that hippo bulls fight over territory and the one who loses, moves away to a new spot,” Sikopo told reporters at the briefing.Such bulls are quite aggressive and our officials shot them after they were identified by the communities,” Sikopo explained.Hippos have been specially protected animals in Namibia since Independence after they were nearly extinguished by poachers and the military during the protracted liberation struggle.Crocodiles experienced the same fate and have the status of “protected species” in Namibia.Since 2000, when Angolan Unita rebels were driven away from the Angolan side of the Okavango River and in the wake of successful conservation efforts by the MET, crocs and hippos have increased in number.In the meantime a generation of rural people has grown up hardly aware of the danger these animals can pose.This despite the fact different ethnic groups have lived in co-existence with wild animals in these areas for hundreds of years.According to Sikopo, funds from the Ministry’s Game Products Trust Fund are to be used to fence off some areas in the water along river banks so that villagers can wash, swim and land their mukoros (dug outs).The tourism sector is worried that the recent shooting of the problem crocodiles and hippos might escalate into a larger “clean up”exercise.”Villagers are telling us that MET officials can shoot any crocodile on sight now and tourists visiting our lodge are concerned as they find this would be a pity” a lodge owner east of Rundu told The Namibian yesterday.However, Sikopo assured reporters that only crocodiles and hippos that caused problems would be shot.One lodge owner in the Caprivi has a theory that high level of illegal fishing has left crocodiles literally hungry.Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the lodge owner said they had fewer tourists coming this year doing fishing on the Zambezi, since fish had become extremely scarce.”Crocodiles mainly feed on catfish and there hardly any catfish left,” the lodge owner told this newspaper yesterday.