Another Ugab elephant dies
According to the lion protection initiative DELHRA (Desert Lions Human Relations Aid), another bull elephant named Ulysses from the Ugab River herd has died. “His leg was caught in a car tyre, something that had happened to him before, only this time he was unable to remove it himself,” DELHRA said.As a result, on Monday this week near the village of Anichab, a state veterinarian stunned the bull with a tranquilizer dart to remove the tyre. This allegedly only happened after the incident had been reported to the environment ministry ten days ago.
Unfortunately, according to reports, the elephant did not recover from the anaesthesia and died. “However, in fairness, because veterinarians are unable to assess the clinical condition of most wild animals when it comes to determining the required dosage of sedative, it is not uncommon for animals to die from anaesthesia due to underlying causes. However, the question arises as to whether this bull was overtired and stressed due to the length of time the tyre remained on his leg, making him increasingly vulnerable to such a death. The herd had travelled a significant distance and it may have been stressful for the bull to keep up with the herd,” the DELHRA said.
Because the sex ratio of the Ugab desert elephants has been distorted by trophy hunting (four bulls, including the famous Voortrekker), adult bulls are valuable and are urgently needed for the survival of the herd.
“How could something like this have been prevented in the future and shouldn’t it have been addressed with greater urgency? At a minimum, conservation groups should commit to cleaning up areas known to be used by wildlife and removing any foreign objects such as wires, tyres, rubbish and such that could cause injury or death to wildlife. Prevention is better than cure.”