Thirsty elephants trouble Sekakangwe villagers

Moemedi Matebu
Correspondent | Wednesday October 5, 2011 00:00

 

Modibedi Mogapi, a 24-year-old farmer said the elephants always give them trouble during the dry season. 'It's not a problem during the rainy season when there is ample water, but immediately the dry season starts, when we do not have sufficient water in our small dam that's when they come and start drinking the little water reserved for our livestock,' Mogapi said.

He said that after the elephants have walked around the dam, it gets so muddy that the livestock get stuck and die in the mud.

Another farmer Ntogelang Mogapi said; 'We always report to the Department of Wildlife whenever the elephants start troubling us and the rangers come on time. The problem is that they do not find the elephants as they are unpredictable and do not come to the dam everyday.'

He added:'We are also sometimes scared of going to the dam because an elephant is a dangerous animal to human beings.'

In an interview with Mmegi, the chief wildlife ranger Tshegofatso Galebue based in Masunga confirmed the report.'The residents of Sekakangwe reported this problem to us and we sent our officers there to chase the elephants away unfortunately during their time of stay there the elephants did not come,' Galebue said.  He also lamented the shortage of resources as they are currently using one car to attend to elephants destroying the fence at Motopi as well as to assist Sekakangwe villagers.

He explained that their intentions are to scare them away by shooting guns in the air and if need be, kill one, if they show no sign of fear.