THE elephant involved in a fatal incident with a senior carer at the Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development Trust (HERD) has been euthanised, following a failed attempt to relocate her where she showed aggression to other staff.

HERD senior carer, Israel Shambira, was fatally gored by the 19-year-old female elephant named Limpopo earlier this month. 

“In the days following the incident, our dedicated carers remained in a state of heightened stress and concern, particularly regarding the safety of being near Limpopo. After extensive consultation among our senior carers, HERD Elephant Manager Tigere Matipedza, and founder of HERD, Adine Roode, with additional guidance from elephant behaviour expert Brett Mitchell, HERD resolved to move Limpopo along with six of her companions to a secure 35ha enclosure at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), located approximately ten kilometres away. The plan was to house the group at HESC under a temporary holding permit while a suitable long-term rewilding site could be identified. The remaining nine elephants were to remain at HERD,” the organisation said. 

The available enclosure allowed for the carers to manage Limpopo and the other elephants under a protected contact type of management. 

“This decision was made on ethical and humane grounds to ensure the safety of HERD personnel and the responsible management of the elephants. The selection of elephants to be relocated was based on the best available data and the elephant social bonds.”

On September 19, as the selected elephants started their walk from the HERD boma, within a few hundred metres, the elephants from both groups began vocalising, becoming very excitable.

“The elephants, who had left, quickly returned to the others. During the excitement, unfortunately, Limpopo showed hyper-aggression towards one of our senior carers, Last Scholar, and our operations manager, Stefan du Toit, who was present as a safety guide. Despite our team’s best efforts to manage the situation, the escalating risk posed by Limpopo’s aggressive behaviour has ultimately made her presence unpredictable and unsafe for all staff at HERD and on the reserve.”

Following further expert guidance and careful internal deliberation, HERD said it faced the devastating but unavoidable decision to euthanise Limpopo. 

“This decision was made to ensure the safety and protection of our staff and the welfare of the remaining herd. Limpopo was humanely euthanised.

“This loss has left our carers, co-workers and immediate community heartbroken. Limpopo had been under our care since birth, and her sudden change in temperament remains unexplained. Since her passing, the rest of the herd has shown no signs of aggression and remains calm and settled.

“Our thoughts remain firmly with Israel’s wife and children. We are committed to supporting his family during this painful time and have already been deeply moved by our community’s compassion. We are also honoured to welcome Israel’s wife and family from Zimbabwe to HERD, where together, we will pay tribute to his legacy.”

The organisation added that all existing adoption funds for Limpopo will be redirected into a dedicated elephant research and welfare fund to help strengthen future care and safety practices.

Cape Times

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