“She liked going into the forest, she liked looking after animals,” says a distraught Iipinge Festus, the husband of Klaudia Amunyela, who was trampled to death by an elephant on Thursday morning.
Amunyela, along with other villagers, found the elephant lying in a field, allegedly assuming it was dead after it was shot by another villager the previous night.
Amunyela then allegedly touched its tail and attempted to take a picture when it trampled her, killing her instantly.
The couple lived at Omugulugombashe village in the Tsandi constituency of the Omusati region.
They have three children, aged two, four and seven.
Festus says he is now left to care for them alone following his wife’s death.
He worked as a bricklayer at the village and surrounding areas to provide for his family.
However, he says he can no longer continue working because he now has to stay home to look after the children.
“She was a happy person who took care of her family and animals. Most of the time she would go to the forest while I stayed with the children,” he says.
Festus was not present when the incident occurred because he was working at another village.
He heard from the other villagers that Amunyela attempted to take pictures close to the elephant, which led to her death.
“I was away with work. When I came back, people were telling different stories, I did not know what to believe,” he says.
He says elephants frequently roam the area, especially during cultivation season, destroying mahangu fields and field yards.
“Every year they come here.
Our village is the last one and closest to the forest. They destroy our fields and field yards.
They have not destroyed mine yet, but they have destroyed my neighbours’,” he says.
Festus says other wild animals such as hyenas also roam the area and often attack goats.
He says villagers have repeatedly reported the presence of wild animals either by phone or by travelling to the nearest mobile station, which is about 70 kilometres away.
However, officials often arrive late or sometimes do not respond at all.
“When they come, the animals have already destroyed our fields and yards,” he says.
Festus has appealed to the government to assist him with burying his wife, saying he does not have money for the funeral.
“The ministry should at least bring a mobile unit here during this time,” he says.
Omusati police regional commander Ismael Basson yesterday told The Namibian that the elephant was later put down by the Outapi nature conservation department.
Ministry of Environment and Tourism spokesperson Vilho Hangula says an investigation was launched following the incident.
He says it is undeniable that wild animals sometimes move into communities during this season because they are attracted by vegetation from the fields.
“The ministry discourages community members from trying to harm, play or provoke wild animals when seen in their areas,” he says.
He says the ministry is committed to wildlife protection and management, urging communities to exercise caution, responsible behaviour and report wild animals once spotted in their areas.
Hangula says an awareness-creation campaign is in the pipeline to educate the public about human-wildlife conflict.
The campaign aims to improve understanding of how to safely coexist with wildlife and reduce incidents that often occur in communities near conservation areas.
The campaign will focus on interpersonal and behavioural change communication, guided by the theory of change model, and will target human-wildlife conflict hotspots across Namibia.
He adds that the ministry will intensify regular patrols to curb cases of wild animals straying from national parks into nearby communities.
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