A 40-year-old woman has died after an elephant attacked her at Paraa near Murchison Falls National Park, Buliisa District.
Janet Pimungu Berochan, who was a resident of Waiga village in Bugana parish, Buliisa sub-county in Buliisa district met her fateful day when she and her two children went to collect firewood near the protected area today (Tuesday), June 20, 2023.
The Buliisa Sub-county Local Government Chairman, Mr Kamanda Kabagambe, told Kazi-njema News that the mother of seven and her children met the elephant that chased them, overtook and fatally wounded her in the abdomen.
The chairman said the matter came to limelight when the deceased’s children ran fast back home where they told the neighbours who in turn informed the authorities who rushed to the scene and found Berochan’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood with the intestines spilt out.
Berochan’s body was conveyed to Buliisa General Hospital for an autopsy before it was later handed to the relatives for burial.
Mr Kabagambe has reiterated his call to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and all government players to act quickly to salvage the lives, property and crops of people neighbouring the game park.
He castigated UWA officials for propagating the message of co-existence between people and wild animals that have on many a day proved deadly to human life.
The politician argued that though UWA condoles with bereaved families by contributing Shs2m for burial expenses, it is more important to protect people from being mauled and killed by wild animals.
He wants the UWA through the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities to hasten the process of enclosing the game park with an electric fence to stop the animals from attacking people.
Mr Michael Okumu, a resident of Waiga village, says many people neighbouring the protected area have had their lives claimed and their crops destroyed by elephants that stray to human settlements in the area.
He questioned the practicability of human-wildlife co-existence as preached by UWA.
“We are losing a lot of people in our areas and so far, today this is the fourth person to be killed by an elephant. There is no way we can learn how to co-exist with these wild animals though UWA advises us to do so,” he said.
This online news portal could not get a comment from UWA by publication time.
