Ministry warns against taking selfies with predators
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has issued a stern warning to the public against playing with wild animals in an attempt to take selfies and videos for social media.
Loveness Ndeiweda, the warden control officer for northern regions, cautioned that people should avoid provoking wildlife and maintain a safe distance at all times.
This warning follows an incident on Saturday afternoon in the Epalela area, Onesi Constituency, Omusati Region, where a man was attacked by a crocodile after community members had been taking pictures and videos with the wounded animal.
The crocodile is believed to have been run over by a vehicle on Friday. Videos circulating online show residents taking turns to pose with the animal while touching its tail. The crocodile retaliated, biting a man’s arm. He was rushed to the hospital, where his condition has been reported as stable.
Ndeiweda condemned the behaviour, stating that it violates Namibia’s Policy on Human-Wildlife Conflict Management. “How on earth do you go and take selfies with a predator? This is unacceptable, and people should not behave in this way,” he told Network Media Hub in a telephonic interview on Saturday.
He added that the victim will not qualify for compensation under the Human-Wildlife Conflict Self-Reliance Scheme, as the incident resulted from negligence.
Under the Human-Wildlife Conflict Self-Reliance Scheme, compensation is provided for damages caused by wildlife.
Ndeiweda said that in cases where a person is attacked while fetching water or carrying out daily activities, the situation would be assessed differently. However, reckless interactions with wildlife, such as the recent crocodile incident, do not qualify for compensation under the scheme.
Ndeiweda urged the public not to approach wild animals, including leopards, lions, or any other wildlife. Instead, any sightings should be immediately reported to ministry officials for proper handling.
Following the incident, ministry officials removed the injured crocodile but had to put it down due to the severity of its wounds.
For any wildlife-related concerns, the ministry advises contacting officials instead of taking risks for social media content. - [email protected]