Bongani Ndlovu
Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
A Victoria Falls resident has described the moments he witnessed a marauding elephant fatally trample a man just outside his bedroom window on Sunday night as a traumatic scene from a nightmare.
Mr Innocent Chidarera, a resident of Mkhosana suburb, is still coming to terms with the horror he witnessed when an elephant chased and killed Gift Siziba at his residence.
In an interview with The Chronicle, a visibly shaken Mr Chidarera recounted the terrifying ordeal that unfolded around 11 pm.
“I am the owner of the premises where this unfortunate incident happened. It was, I think, around 11 pm. I was asleep and was with my wife inside the house. We heard an elephant trumpeting,” Mr Chidarera narrated.
He said the sound of the trumpeting was immediately followed by heavy footsteps approaching the house.
“Then we heard some footsteps. As we opened our curtain, we found that there was a man crawling under this tree and the elephant was in pursuit. When it got to the man, it went on its knees. I think it was using its horns to attack him. We could not see much because this tree was also obstructing the view. However, the elephant was so close — it was so close that you could touch it from the house,” he said.
Realising the imminent danger, Mr Chidarera attempted to scare the animal away.
“So I also tried to make some noise inside. Then it trumpeted again and sprang,” he said.
The commotion drew the attention of neighbours who had been awakened by the noise.
“Then all the neighbours, I think they were watching from their windows. Everyone came out and then we saw a restless man, or I can say a lifeless body, lying beside my window. I am traumatised,” he said.
The incident has left the community in shock, reigniting concerns over human-wildlife conflict in the resort city.
Online Reporter