Elephants in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese District are raging, breaking out of the confines of their demarcated reserves and leaving residents living in the neighborhood in fear.
Last month, two people, identified as Emmanuel Kisembo and Geoffrey Kaburuburu, lost their lives in elephant attacks while guarding their crops in Kasese District.
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Edreda Kyakimwa, 70, a resident of Kireka Village in Kitswamba Sub-county and survivor, claimed that last February, while she attended to her maize garden, elephants strayed from the park, descended on her garden, destroyed all the crops, and almost killed her.
“I noticed a large herd of what I thought were cows entering my garden around 7 pm. Due to the fading light, I mistook the elephants for cattle, and to my surprise, there were over 50 elephants. As I approached them, one suddenly charged towards me. Unfortunately, due to my advanced age, I couldn’t run fast to escape the elephant’s attack,” she began.
Following the attack, neighbors took her to the hospital.
“While at Mount St Mary’s Hospital, I spent an additional Shs6 million on medical bills, and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) paid Shs2.5 million only. I had to sell my land to raise money since the total medical bill rose to more than Shs10m,” Ms. Kyakimwa said.
In response, the spokesperson of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Mr. Bashir Hangi, extended his condolences to the families that have lost relatives due to elephant attacks.
He added that UWA is tirelessly working to mitigate human wildlife conflicts, including the installation of electric fences in the affected areas.
“Tourism is a leading revenue earner,” Mr. Hangi reminded the people, “but we also want neighboring communities to coexist peacefully with wildlife.”
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