Wildlife officials in northern Cameroon said on Wednesday they were grappling with a herd of elephants that invaded a regional capital this week after trampling nearby villages, killing at least two people.
An estimated 6,830 elephants live in Cameroon, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, one of the largest populations of the endangered specimen in Africa.
Conservation efforts have increased these numbers in recent years, but loss of habitat to plantations and villages has meant that the animals have occasionally moved into human settlements, running over crops and homes and sometimes attacking people.
The forestry and wildlife authority, Jean Nyemeg , said elephants trampled a child to death this week in a village near Maroua, the capital of Cameroon’s far north region. The four elephants then made two forays into Maroua itself.
“The elephants moved around in search of water due to the arid nature of the region,” Nyemeg said, adding that the herd was first sighted near the border with Chad.
Footage shared on social media showed people dispersing and filming videos with their cellphones as the herd roamed the asphalt streets. Reuters was unable to verify the images.
Source: CNN Brasil
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