NWOYA– An elephant fleeing from residents attacked and killed an eight-year-old primary school boy on Wednesday in Nwoya District.
The animal is said to have strayed from the Murchison National Falls Park into people’s gardens in Tegot Parish, Got Apwoyo Sub-county. Residents are then said to have mobilised and started chasing it from gardens.
As it fled, it encountered Griffin Ayoo, who was on his way to school, and grabbed him with its trunk before smashing his head on the Karuma-Pakwach tarmac road. Ayoo has been a pupil of Got Apwoyo Primary School.
The Murchison falls Conservation Manager, Dr Eric Enyel, regretted the accident. However, Dr Enyel said the residents should have used peaceful means to driving away the animal from their gardens because elephants are hot-tempered animals that can wreak havoc when disturbed.
He added that they are trying to dig trenches around the park to avoid wild animals from invading villages. Dr Enyel said they have reached out to the deceased’s family so that they can contribute towards burial expenses.
The district chairperson, Patrick Okello Oryema, accused UWA of failing to protect the population from wild animals. He noted that over the past years, several plantations have been destroyed by marauding wild animals from the national park adding that it has discouraged many people from practicing agriculture.
In August last year, a 42-year-old man was left unconscious after being attacked by marauding elephants that invaded Pakawera Sub-ward in Kal B Parish, Koch Goma Sub-county.
