LIVINGSTONE RESIDENTS SHARE MEAT FROM SOAK-AWAY DROWNED ELEPHANT

LIVINGSTONE RESIDENTS SHARE MEAT FROM SOAK-AWAY DROWNED ELEPHANT

LIVINGSTONE residents on Saturday helped themselves to the meat of an elephant that drowned in a soak-away.

Thw world’s largest land mammal was on the receiving end of human-animal conflict in Dambwa North as it got stuck in  its quest to find water.

As the animal stepped on the soak-away to drink water, the concrete could not contain the animal’ weight and collapsed immediately.

The elephant’s head got stuck in the soak-away and it later died.

And according to Department of National Parks and Wildlife wildlife rangers who spoke on condition of anonymity, residents threatened to riot if they were not allowed to share the meat.

“The animal apparently died out of drowning after its head got stuck in the soak-away system. We tried to pull it out of the ditch using a ZAF heavy truck so as to take it to our office, but we had to abandon the site when the crowd became unruly and threated to riot. So we gave them their wish,” explained one wildlife officer.

And after ZAF and wildlife officers conceded, pangas, axes, knives, or anything that could cut suddenly appeared in the hands of residents.

The residents mainly male youths, then mercilessly dissected the animal and later turned it into supper.

By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
The Mast.