Elephant lovers all over the globe are still heartbroken over the murder of Voortrekker, the iconic desert elephant bull of Namibia. He was shot by a trophy hunter, after being declared a “problem causing animal” by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET).
“We remember Voortrekker as an incredibly gentle, peaceful and magnificent elephant. His presence has often calmed other inexperienced elephants around him. He was known locally as the ‘Old Man’, that was always welcome because he never caused any problems or induced fear.” This statement comes from the people who knew Voortrekker best: The team of Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA) has been monitoring the desert elephants for years.
The outrage is mounting in social media and international press, as more facts about the killing have come out. In an urgent letter to MET written shortly before the killing the conservancies of Otjimboyo, Sorris Sorris and Tsiseb point out that Voortrekker was NOT part of the herd that had been bothering the community of the Ohungu Conservancy in the area of Omatjete. “A flagrant error was made when the hunting license was issued”, states Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.
It has become painfully clear that the “error” did not happen by accident. In the vicious logic of trophy hunters Voortrekkers fame and formidable presence made him a preferred target for murder. In 2008 elephant lovers had donated $ 12 000 to MET to buy the hunting permit that had been issued for him. The fight for Voortrekkers life has been going on ever since – and was tragically lost now.
The consequences for the small population of desert elephants might be dire. “Voortrekker was the main breeding bull and had the strongest genes”, said Iyambo Naruseb of the Otjimboyo conservancy and called the loss “a potential threat to the long-term gene pool”. No calf has survived in the herd since 2014 as a result of drought and other environmental stresses.
Another concern is the social structure of the herd, that might seriously be disrupted. “Prime bulls help young males to control their musth hormones and ensure they stick to the hierarchy, thus preventing aggression”, state conservationists from EHRA.
In their letter to MET the three conservancies also generally oppose hunting “their” elephants: “Our people are in general accepting of the elephants’ presence and want them to remain in the area … it is our belief that the shooting of elephants does not solve the problem. In fact, this only makes it worse. We want to keep our communities safe and to do this we need to ensure that our elephants are calm and relaxed when entering villages. It is our belief that the shooting of elephants or scaring them off with gunshots, screaming or chasing them off results in aggressive animals and this cannot be tolerated.”
The name of the hunter has not surfaced so far. It is rumoured though that members of the infamous Dallas Safari Club were in Namibia at the time of Voortrekkers violent death.
Meanwhile elephant lovers all over the world are still grief-stricken . Most of all probably Johannes Haasbroek, the founder of EHRA. Voortrekker “… never stepped out of line. I lived and fought and cried for that gentleman. I have no words anymore. Let the planet die now. With him. All that is left for me is to watch and weep. See you in a better world my friend. This one was not meant for us. I failed you“.