In brief
In a heartbreaking event, over 80 buffaloes drowned in Namibia after being pursued by lions from Botswana. The buffaloes fell off a cliff into the Chobe River, with reports indicating that this tragic event is not an isolated incident, as similar occurrences have led to significant buffalo casualties in the past. Local officials are distributing the harvested meat to surrounding communities, highlighting both the natural dangers for wildlife and the human response to such tragedies.
More than 80 buffaloes have been killed after they trampled over each other and drowned in a river, Namibia's environment and tourism department has said.
The buffaloes were being chased by lions in neighbouring Botswana when they fell from a deep cliff into the Chobe River on the Namibian side of the border, it added in a statement.
Hundreds of buffaloes have been killed in similar circumstances in the past.
In one of the worst cases, around 400 died in 2018 after they ran into the river, which flows through Botswana's Chobe National Park, a major tourist attraction known for its huge number of elephants, buffaloes and giraffes.
An official at Namibia's Kabulabula Conservancy told the BBC the herd of buffaloes was fleeing lions in Chobe National Park.
Whenever they are chased by lions, they try to cross over into Namibia and start [trampling over] each other, the conservancy's Mbeha Tadeus said.
A spokesperson for the Namibian Environment, Forestry and Tourism Ministry, Ndeshipanda Hamunyela, confirmed that the animals came from Botswana, but could not say whether they were from Chobe National Park.
Ms Hamunyela told the BBC that the meat from the carcasses would be distributed to communities in the immediate area.
In a video shared by the Namibian public broadcaster, NBC, residents can be seen dividing the meat among themselves near the banks of the river.
The NBC put the number of buffaloes killed at 90, reporting that the incident happened at around 05:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
