By Synthia Lateu
BUEA, July 16, 2023 – The inhabitants of Campo, Ocean Division of the South Region of Cameroon are decrying the invasion of their farms and beaches by elephants from the Campo Ma’an National Park.
They say they have lost sleep over the invasion as the powerful steps of these mammals are heard now and then. “I heard the noise, I asked Mama what was happening she said it was an elephant” an inhabitant of the area, Bamedette Eyanga said.
“They came last night to look at their footprint. They last visited two months ago but last night they returned,” another inhabitant Judith Ekom added. “For over 10 years now, Elephant visits are more frequent, in the last 4 years, the situation has worsened. From 2020, elephants will come to eat up everything.” She further told CRTV.
According to the traditional ruler of Assock village, Pie Parfait Ondo Assoum, the situation has degenerated and is fast becoming a discouraging factor to farming. “Before, elephants did not eat up everything now, they do. They seem to have a detective device to know when the harvest is wide. It is a waste of time going to the farm. I am discouraged,” he said on CRTV.
The ordeal of these invasions date from many years back. Speaking to the Guardian Post in April 2023 chief of Nkoelon, Obate Akono Paul regretted that the Elephant can no longer be killed by the population despite being an efficient practice that sends them away. He explained that several decades ago, each village was permitted to resort to killing just one elephant to scare the rest away if all other measures had proven to be futile.
“A village was privileged to kill just one elephant and the rest would make five to six years without trespassing into that community again. But now, the animals feel more protected than humans, which is a big problem for us,” Obate Akono Paul stated.
The inhabitants of Campo have criticized the government’s measures to address the situation as ineffective and hope more concrete ones will be implemented. According to park authorities, increasing human activities along the Campo national park, agro-industrial activities, and some other factors account for the elephant outings. Researchers have reportedly embarked on field work to find lasting solutions to the problem of the Human – Wildlife conflict which seems to be blowing out of proportion.
