Maria David
THE hunt for an aggressive buffalo that was wreaking havoc in neighbouring Angola ended in the death of 38-year-old Katika Patrick Haushiku after a stray bullet struck him.
The incident on Tuesday happened at the Mbwata village in the Ndiyona constituency of the Kavango East Region.
Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed the incident on Thursday, adding that further investigations are being conducted by relevant authorities.
Muyunda said that during the operation, the buffalo charged towards the officials, prompting one of them to shoot at it.
“Unfortunately, a stray bullet hit the deceased,” he said.
On Sunday, the buffalo reportedly crossed into Namibia after it was pursued by Angolans.
According to Muyunda, the buffalo was showing signs of aggression and posing a serious safety concern to the residents in the area.
“Buffaloes are usually put down on an urgent basis to prevent a possible outbreak of foot and mouth disease in livestock. For this reason, a decision was taken to put it down immediately,” he said.
Muyunda added that community members were informed and warned of the dangers and potential risks of the operation prior to the hunt and were requested to stay away from the area of operation.
He said it is unfortunate that the request was not adhered to, as some people flocked to the area where the team was searching for the buffalo, in the hopes of getting meat once the buffalo was put down.
