Local community cautioned after elephants escape KNP

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has urged residents living near the Kruger National Park (KNP) to be cautious especially around the Mkhuhlu area.

This after several elephants escaped from the park.

VIDEO | Six elephants have escaped from the Kruger National Park and are enroute the Mkhuhlu area. pic.twitter.com/VhXV1AQcvX

— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 4, 2024

Community members have also been urged not to attempt to kill the animals.

MTPA spokesperson Simphiwe Shingube says their attempts to push the elephants back to the Kruger Park failed twice. He says their operations were also partly disrupted by community members and motorists.

“We can confirm that there are five elephants which escaped from Kruger National Park. We tried twice with the helicopter to push them back to the park. Unfortunately, we couldn’t succeed at the moment, however, we are monitoring the situation. Our team is on the ground to make sure that the community is safe and we are also trying other options so that the situation can come back to normal. We are saying to the nearby community they must not try to kill these elephants. They must also allow our team to work without any disturbance.”