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Elephants break out of Tsavo West National Park, locals go into hiding
More than 500 elephants strayed out of Tsavo West National Park in Kenya, destroying crops and scaring villagers before being herded back onto park property, the Nairobi Star reports.
The elephants were simply grazing and looking for water, park officials say, but that doesn't reassure villagers who saw their fields trampled. The elephants wandered through five villages and there are reports that they attacked people, although these haven't been confirmed. Many people hid for days indoors until Kenya's Problem Animal Control Unit took care of the problem.
Locals are complaining of threats to their livelihood. Many farmers live in poverty and one ruined crop can be disastrous. Park warden Samuel Rukaria told them they should invest in tourism businesses to cash in on the hugely popular park in their back yard. Not bad advice for someone with capital and a knowledge of the tourism business, but it's unrealistic to expect everyone in the region to be able to do this. This story is just another example of how difficult it is to reconcile the needs of tourists and wildlife to those of local residents. With Africa's expanding population putting ever more pressure on parks and game reserves, incidents like this will only become more common.
[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: Africa, Kenya, Ecotourism, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bill May 6th 2011 2:58PM
The poachers will take care of those critters.
hungrydoll2020 May 6th 2011 8:49PM
maybe someone will poach something off you bill and then you can know how it feels to be an elephant. long live the animals they belong here more then we do.
mike May 6th 2011 1:16PM
gotta put the bullet in a small area, very small brain in those stupid animals,,oh and use plenty of bullet to go thru that thick skull,,
patricia May 6th 2011 3:54PM
Stupid? Elephants are widely known to be among the most intelligent animals on earth.
EE Griffith May 6th 2011 8:34PM
No bullet for you, just a slap in the face and a coward like you would cry like a baby. Jerkoff.
Jennifer May 6th 2011 1:41PM
You're all idiots. These elephants are orphans from moron poachers killing their mothers leaving them to starve to death without the mothers milk. The Chinese building in Africa has increased demand for ivory leading to increased demand for the slaughter of elephants which happen to be very family oriented creatures with more feelings than most of the people commenting here.
sonny May 6th 2011 4:24PM
Your totally correct. I would rather live with animals than humans.
steve May 6th 2011 4:30PM
its hard to believe people still kill magnificent animals for ivory or their skin, and were civilized, god help us
Jennifer May 6th 2011 1:40PM
And more intelligence too....
Jennifer May 6th 2011 1:44PM
And more intelligence too! Just read comments prior to mine- when have you seen such stupid commentary from an elephant?
linda caylor May 6th 2011 2:07PM
some of the reason i like animals better than people- plus their a whole lot smarter
JD May 6th 2011 2:38PM
How is there a problem? The key sentence in this whole article is, "With Africa's expanding [human] population putting ever more pressure on parks and game reserves, incidents like this will only become more common." If Africa's population is "expanding" in spite of wars, genocide, terrorism, aids, poverty, starvation and lack of clean water, it's pretty obvious to me that the people don't need any help surviving. On the other hand, the elephant population has been dwindling for a century. Which group needs help here? The one growing like a virus or the one that is really stressed and dying? MMMMM. I wonder?
frankerin May 6th 2011 3:44PM
A virus? Another peta picker lusting for the demise of humanity so that momma earth can celebrate the animals, unless she blows up a rift volcano, a tsunami, or grade 9+ earthquake, or returns to the ancient pattern of thousand year droughts. The approach might be not the burgeoning population, but the increasing migration of peoples, tribes, tourists and support systems, china and south asian immigration, and increased management of the parks, including (gasp) the occasional need to cull surplus population. The girlies here appear to want the deer population to rise to a point of a predictable die off, rather than a culling by (gasp) hunting. With guns (another gasp)
karen lyons kalmenson May 6th 2011 2:47PM
elephant packed their trunks and
were out of there
wandering free, without a care
as things once were
before humans overpopulated
so now to zoos and
parks
they are sadly relegated
hrdrck1 May 6th 2011 4:27PM
THIS IS THE ELEPHANTS LAND ... FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS!
Humans have encroached and stolen EVERYTHING they had .. now they wonder "WHAT HAPPENED?" GET OUT ... give the land back so they can graze and find water when they need it.
mike May 6th 2011 6:56PM
and im sure that the very land you live on was at one time the home of some wild animal,species, so you would be happy to vacate right? im sure you would because the animals need the space
Bob Vela May 7th 2011 4:27PM
Kenya prohibits hunting, the elephant is seen as a problem, hence poaching. In countries where hunting is allowed there is considerable value placed on these animals, there is very little poaching. Maybe PETA could send the villagers who lost their crops money for their damages. Now perhaps a rich mans harvest of a problem animal won't seem the horror it was made out to be.
Nona May 6th 2011 3:45PM
From the article: "Many farmers live in poverty and one ruined crop can be disastrous." And, "With Africa's expanding population putting ever more pressure on parks and game reserves, incidents like this will only become more common." maybe Africa should do something about their "expanding population" because poverty comes partly as a result of having too many mouths to feed.
patricia May 6th 2011 4:08PM
I believe you are right, Jennifer.
hungrydoll2020 May 6th 2011 8:50PM
they need to put birth control in the gruel the people eat. nevermind the elephants they have all the rights to be there. and the guy talking about putting bullets in thick skulls of elephants should try one in his own! LOL