MAUN: Ngamiland Regional Wildlife Coordinator Dimakatso Ntshebe has confirmed the death of a colleague from Etsha 13 who was killed by an irate buffalo in Maun on Monday.
The 47-year-old man was the Head of Problem Animal Control Unit based in Maun and was transferred from Seronga to Maun the previous year on promotion.
He said the incident was reported to Maun Police at around 5am by a motorist passing through Maun bus rank. It is reported that while chasing people, it damaged his car which was parked at the bus rank. Ntshebe noted that with assistance from officials from the Department of Veterinary Services and Botswana Police, they went on a hunting spree of the buffalo as it was seen by eye witnesses roaming at Thito ward, near Maun Sports Complex.
The Wildlife boss said the deceased, his colleague and an eye witness came out from their vehicle hoping to lie in wait of the animal. The three of them are said to have been armed but as fate would have it, the animal was ahead of them.
“The accompanying eye witness is the one who saw it hiding from a nearby bush. He then ran back to the waiting vehicle and did not alert the officers, who were by that time at the other end because he thought they had also seen it. Within no time it emerged from hiding an attacked the deceased, breaking his arm before sinking its horn on his spine,” he said.
Ntshebe said soon after it was shot, the officer who was by then bleeding profusely was rushed to Maun General Hospital but died soon after. While on the way to the hospital, he is said to have communicated well with his colleagues and even requested to be given water as he was thirsty.
“No one heard him scream during the attack, probably because he was frightened and didn’t want to anger it even more. This is a very unfortunate incident because we have lost a very experienced worker who has dealt with problem animals over the years,” said Ntshebe.
As a word of advice, he warned that people should refrain from walking around at night especially in bushy areas as it feared that more buffaloes might still be on the loose. Since January this year, he said they have killed three buffaloes, all of which were spotted in Maun.
He said buffaloes are by nature very dangerous and aggressive animals which always attack with intention to kill. Through routine patrols of the buffalo fence, he said they have in the past excelled in driving batches of buffaloes back into the Okavango delta as they normally carry Foot and Mouth Disease.
He said their efforts are often frustrated due to a fence which is constantly damaged by elephants.
