In brief
A stampede of buffaloes, being chased by lions in Botswana, led to the tragic drowning of over 80 animals in Namibia. The Namibian environment ministry reported the buffaloes fell off a cliff into the Chobe River, adding that meat from the carcasses will be distributed to local communities. Similar events have occurred in the past, underscoring the risks of wildlife encounters.
More than 80 buffaloes have been killed after they trampled over each other and drowned in a river, Namibia's environment and tourism department has said.
The buffaloes were being chased by lions in neighbouring Botswana when they 'fell from a deep cliff' into the Chobe River on the Namibian side of the border, it added in a statement.
Hundreds of buffaloes have been killed in similar circumstances in the past.
In one of the worst cases, around 400 died in 2018 after they ran into the river, which flows through Botswana's Chobe National Park, a major tourist attraction known for its huge number of elephants, buffaloes, and giraffes.
An official at Namibia's Kabulabula Conservancy told the BBC the herd of buffaloes was fleeing lions in Chobe National Park.
'Whenever they are chased by lions, they try to cross over into Namibia and start trampling over each other,' the conservancy's Mbeha Tadeus said.
A spokesperson for the Namibian Environment, Forestry and Tourism Ministry, Ndeshipanda Hamunyela, confirmed that the animals came from Botswana, but could not say whether they were from Chobe National Park.
Ms. Hamunyela told the BBC that the meat from the carcasses would be 'distributed to communities in the immediate area'.
In a video shared by the Namibian public broadcaster NBC, residents can be seen dividing the meat among themselves near the banks of the river.
The NBC put the number of buffaloes killed at 90, reporting that the incident happened at around 05:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
