Jumbo blow to KZN reserve
THE conservationist who was trampled and gored by bull elephants in northern Kwazulu-natal this week died trying to save the animals he loved.
Father-of-two Beyers Coetzee was herding home 31 elephants that had broken out of a private reserve, about 40km south-east of Vryheid, when he was “blind-sided” by two bulls.
Recent breakouts from the Mawana Reserve have threatened relations with local communities, jeopardising plans to expand the reserve.
Mawana was established by Kerneels van der Walt, who died in 2017. His daughter Una, who is married to Coetzee, is a co-executor of the estate.
Coetzee, 45, an architect by profession, had been a driving force in efforts to expand the 10 000 hectare property into a larger reserve, Loziba Wilderness, in partnership with neighbouring communities and other landowners.
Keeping Mawana’s elephants in check while complex negotiations were under way was vital to the success of the project, said Grant Fowlds, a close friend who was with Coetzee on the morning of the tragedy.
When Coetzee learnt from the elephants’ radio collars that they had again broken a fence and strayed close to the homes of a neighbouring community, he sprang into action.
He left his home in Pretoria on Monday, and on Tuesday set out to drive the awol beasts back, using bigbang crackers and the crack of firearms to frighten them along.
He was joined by four other men, including Hendrik van Jaarsveld, son of the manager of a neighbouring farm, and Thobani Masondo, who has been employed at the reserve for eight years.
Van Jaarsveld, on holiday from the US where he is farming, told Roving Reporters they had been chivvying the animals along from behind, but it was slow going and they had lost sight of the main herd.
About midday, amid dense bush, two bull elephants came upon them. Then, the bulls charged.
A shaken Van Jaarsveld, who turns 21-years-old in a few days time, said he ran about 1km before stopping.
Coetzee, who had been setting off crackers earlier, was close by.
Masondo, 38, said he was leading the way when the drama unfolded.
“I warned them the elephants were getting angry and they should let them be for a while… but Beyers had wanted the elephant to cross the uthaka River (safely into the reserve),” said Masondo.
He said he did not see the elephants, but could smell them. He said he heard a whistle and turned to see his companions fleeing. The elephants were 12m to 15m away.
He recalled nearly colliding with Coetzee in the helter-skelter and hearing a thud, as well as the bulls roaring several times.
Fowlds said he blamed himself for not warning Coetzee off his unorthodox elephant-scaring methods.
Una had also pleaded with her husband not to go out that morning, but their manager had quit the day before and Coetzee was committed to looking after the elephants, said Fowlds.
Coetzee had planned to protect the elephants by establishing a larger Loziba Reserve.
“It was a desperate measure. The more the people complained (about elephant breakouts) the more we went in. Everything that happened at Loziba was about the elephants. They were the catalyst for change. Now, ironically, Beyers has died for them,” he said.
On the fate of the Mawana elephants, Fowlds said as it was not known which one did the damage, the entire herd might have to be put down by conservation authorities.
But the trampling to death of Coetzee has also sparked calls to support to expansion of the KZN reserve.
“We fully intend to realise his vision and to honour his family by making Loziba a reality, bringing real and concrete benefits to the communities that surround this incredible landscape,” said Francois du Toit, chief executive of the African Conservation Trust.
Read more at www.rovingreporters.co.za