Man killed by elephants in Kasungu ignored ranger warnings

IFAW is deeply saddened by the incident on the evening of Tuesday, 05 September 2023 at Mzinje in the Nthunduwala area of Kasungu National Park involving the incursion of elephants onto communal land resulting in the death of 45-year-old Borniface Nkhata. We extend our heartfelt condolences to family, friends and the entire Zyambuli village and Nthunduwala TA communities.

Nkhata and a group of friends were returning home from the Nthunduwala Market at around 7pm when they were warned about the elephants that had walked around the Southeastern extremity of the fence protecting the village by rangers who had been deployed to drive the elephants back to the park.  While his friends waited for the elephants to return to the park and the danger to pass, Nkhata, on his bicycle, ignored the warning and proceeded along the road.

On returning home his friends could not find Nkhata and his phone went unanswered. Worried about him, they organized a search party and found him lying in a pool of blood, unconscious. He was rushed to a nearby dispensary at Nthunduwala where the Medical Assistant pronounced him dead.

Nkhata is survived by two wives and seven children, all of whom are receiving support and assistance from the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and IFAW.

The elephants were subsequently driven back to the park.

Incidents like the one above focus on the biggest conservation challenge of our time: the successful coexistence of people and wildlife. Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) has become inevitable, especially where communities living within and bordering conservation areas. This is mainly due to shrinking wildlife natural habitats and competition for scarce resources like food and water. IFAW recognises that people and wildlife have spent centuries living together and sharing landscapes, and, while our conservation initiatives aim to create natural room to roam across landscapes to ensure species survival, we have a responsibility to safeguard and protect the people in these landscapes.

To prioritise human life and livelihoods, IFAW works proactively with experts and communities to reduce and mitigate incidents that could lead to the loss of life and damage to property. IFAW engages with those living closest to the animals and habitats we strive to protect to ensure positive and sustained change. We are committed to working respectfully and collaboratively with communities to find lasting solutions that work for wildlife, people, and the animals under their stewardship.