11 ELEPHANTS TRAVEL 60KM DISTANCE TO MPAKA

SITEKI – The 11 elephants that roamed into the country yesterday travelled a distance of over 60km from Big Bend to Mpaka area.

According to Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the elephants were spotted at Lubhuku area by noon, supposedly travelling towards Mpaka community. Vilakati urged members of the public not to come closer to the elephants. She said people who came across the animals should refrain from making loud sounds, as this could cause the elephants to react in a violent manner. “We hope by reaching this area, they will then resort to returning to Mozambique where they came from. The public is warned not to come near the animals or try to drive them away as such could be dangerous,” she said.

Crossing

On Tuesday, the elephants were spotted foraging on cane near the Ubombo Sugar Mill, after crossing into the country on Monday night from Mozambique. According to Google Map Distance, the elephants travelled a distance of about 78.9km from Tikhuba to Big Bend, which when travelling by car, it is an hour and 22 minutes. It is believed that the elephants crossed into the country along the borderline closer to Mambane-Tikhuba areas. Mhlosenga Nature Reserve Director Graham Bayer, said he had been informed that the herd of elephants had moved 35km north-eest of Big Bend in the direction of Mpaka area.

According to Big Game Parks (BGP) Head of Conservation Jubela Reilly, the 11 elephants were yesterday spotted at Mpaka area and about to cross towards Hlane. Reilly said they usually embarked on their journey during the night. He said his team was monitoring their movements. “We hope they will return to Mozambique,” he said. Worth mentioning is that this is the third time elephants crossed into the country from Mozambique. Early last month, six elephants crossed into the country from Mozambique through an area called Makhuleni, which is closer to the Eswatini-Mozambique borderline situated under Tikhuba community. They were reported to have roamed the Tshaneni area and later returned to Mozambique. 

A few days later, another elephant crossed into the country through the Mananga borderline separating Eswatini and South Africa, believed to have migrated from Kruger National Park and caused damage to fencing of homes situated around Luve area. For the past two months, about 17 elephants believed to be from Mozambique entered the country while one was from South Africa. They entered on separate occasions.

Meanwhile, the Mambane and Tikhuba periphery along the Eswatini and Mozambique borderline has become a hot spot for the crossing of elephants from Mozambique. Army personnel manning the borderline separating the two countries were first to spot the 11 elephants that crossed into the country last month which, according to BGP, were reported to have returned to Mozambique.

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