More than 50 elephants raided a village in Tanzania’s northern district of Handeni in the Tanga region Saturday evening, and destroyed farm crops, a local official confirmed Sunday.
“The elephants raided Nkale village in Segera ward at around 3 p.m., local time, and destroyed mostly orange and cashew nuts plantations,” Mashaka Mgeta, the Handeni district administrative secretary, told Xinhua over the phone.
“Fortunately the wild animals did not attack the villages,” said Mgeta, noting that district agricultural officials were assessing the situation to establish the damage inflicted on the orange and cashew nuts plantations.
He said the Handeni district authorities have requested the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) to help in driving the animals back to their habitats.
Mgeta said TAWA officials will also help in establishing where the elephants came from.
Siriel Mchembe, the Handeni district commissioner, appealed to TAWA to urgently dispatch game rangers to villages raided by the elephants and drive them back to their habitats before they cause further devastation.
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