KILLER ELEPHANT TRACKED, KILLED

ONE of the elephants that killed two tourists in Livingstone has been gunned down.

Wildlife officials hunted the animal following mounting pressure from members of the public.

Pressure had been mounting on the department of Wildlife and National Parks in Livingstone to track down the elephants that has so far claimed four lives within a space of one months in the Tourist Capital.

Some Livingstone residents including some civic leaders want the elephant be killed while others feel that that is not the solution to human wildlife conflict.

On November 2, 2017, a security guard at United Air Charter Zambia Limited identified as Mulyata Nyumbu aged about 50, was killed by an elephant in the Mosi-o-Tunya national park in as he was cycling to work at about 17:00 hours.

Eight days later on November 12, 2017, two foreign tourists were trampled by an elephant at Maramba River lodge within the radius of one kilometer from where the first incident took place.

And on Thursday, November 23, 2017, another person was killed by an elephant in Simonga area 12 kilometers on the west of Livingstone City along the Livingstone-Sesheke road.

The man identified as David Chibolya aged 35 years met his fate around 18: 30 hours as he was cycling from the Zambezi River where he went fishing heading to Simonga village.

The incidence has aroused emotions from some residents who are accusing the department of wildlife and Livingstone parks in Livingstone of being toothless.

In an interview with the Daily Nation in Livingstone, Mr. Peter Munyama said that people of Livingstone were now living fear due to the continued killings of human beings by elephants.

Mr. Munyama said that the elephant which he suspects to be the same one which has claimed the four lives is well known animals to officers from department of wildlife and national parks.

“Let the officers trace this elephant and kill it…It is known and it is moving in a group the group of three. It is a male elephant,” he said.

“Much as we promote tourism, we should not allow animals to kill human beings and by the way the national park has more elephants so why keep it,” he wondered.

But another resident Laiven Apuleni feels that this is not the solution to addressing human wildlife conflict.

Mr. Apuleni said that all the killings that have been reported were happening within the national park adding that it was actually human being who are encroaching where the animals are living.