MATSULU – Residents were shocked to see an elephant roaming the streets after it escaped from the Kruger National Park earlier today.
According to members of the community, some saw it around 01:00am and alerted authorities.”It was walking around people’s houses near Mandela Park,” one of them said.
In videos circulating on social media, a group of people can be seen running behind the animal and in others, people are being chased by it.
READ | Leopard attacks four people in Matsulu
VIDEOS:
WATCH | An elephant has escaped from the Kruger National Park and is seen roaming around houses in Matsulu this afternoon. In some videos circulating on social media, community members are seen chasing and running behind the animal. https://t.co/DjHGEcdf6m pic.twitter.com/IQ5gZF5JVa
— Mpumalanga Mirror (@MPMirror) February 10, 2024
Matsulu can't be a real place😭 https://t.co/Y0VcIBYjD4 pic.twitter.com/rJvC2SNHFs
— Ms Jayleen (@JayF_321) February 10, 2024
An elephant is seen cooling off at someone’s yard in Matsulu near Mandela Park before it was killed by community member @SANParks #EFFManifestoLaunch2024 pic.twitter.com/mb1EhOUrQn
— #LOVE&LIGHT (@khoza_bonnie) February 10, 2024
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency(MTPA) released a statement confirming that the elephant was eventually put down by the Damage Causing Animals team who successfully retrieve the head of the elephant with its ivory in accordance to the law
and left the carcass for the community.
SEE STATEMENT:
South African National Park’s Isaac Phaahla confirmed the incident. “We tried to lead the animal back to the park. A chopper was dispatched and eventually led it to an open field where we had to euthanise the animal. However, some residents were preventing us to lead the animal back to the park. MTPA officials were harassed and the police came but they were overpowered. Unfortunately, we decided to call off the mission,” said Phaahla.
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