Scores of animals meet their death trapped in the mud
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
Scores of livestock and wildlife face a dire situation due to the drying of the Lake Ngami in the Okavango Delta.
This week, the Secretary of Lake Ngami Conservation Trust (LNCT), Sekano Bodio, told this publication that the lake – which is known for its abundance of water – has gone dry, resulting in some animals being trapped to death in the mud while searching for water.
According to Bodio, the current situation is a repetition of last year’s climatic phenomenon where countless animals died in the mud when the lake ran dry.
A watering hole for humans, livestock and wildlife
He said although this time around most water species have relocated in search of water, the remaining few face a dire situation because the little water is diminishing fast. “This lake has been a watering hole for both wildlife and livestock,” Bodio noted.
“The current situation in the absence of control measures puts livestock in danger of being trapped in the mud. Because there is no fencing around the lake, livestock moves freely in search of water and some of it ends up being trapped to death. We had plans to manage the livestock movements by fencing the lake but lack of funds stalled the plans.”
According to Bodio, the lake last dried up in 1984 but started flooding 20 years later, becoming an important source of water and fish for communities around it.