Forestry and wildlife official Jean Nyemeg said elephants trampled a child to death this week in a village near Maroua.
Wildlife officials in northern Cameroon are battling a herd of marauding elephants that wandered into a regional capital this week after trampling surrounding villages and killing at least two people.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, around 6,830 elephants live in Cameroon, making it one of the largest populations of endangered species in Africa.
Conservation efforts have increased in number in recent years. But the loss of habitat to plantations and villages can occasionally roaming animals in human settlementstrampling crops and homes, and sometimes charging people.
Forestry and wildlife official Jean Nyemeg said elephants trampled a child to death this week in a village near Maroua, the capital of Cameroon’s Far North region. The four elephants then made two incursions into Maroua itself.
“The elephants moved around in search of water due to the arid nature of the area,” Nyemeg said, adding that the herd was first spotted near the border with Chad.
Footage shared on social media showed people scattering and taking videos with their phones as the herd wandered on asphalt roads.
Foot rangers tried to lure them into a national park about 120 km (75 miles) from Maroua, Nyemeg said.
The deputy mayor of neighboring Kalfou district, Oumarou Tamboutou, said the elephants killed a man last week.
The Ministry of Forests and Wildlife said in a statement that the animals were migrating to Waza National Park when a crowd of onlookers, unaware of the danger, blocked the road.
The disoriented the elephants killed a person, named Bintou, in the locality of Balda, the ministry said and asked residents not to approach the animals as they were still heading towards the national park.
Wildlife groups in Cameroon have sought to resolve the conflict between elephants and humans, which has led to street protests in the past, and prevent poaching.
Droughts linked to climate change have heightened tensions, as thirsty elephants are more likely to encroach on villages and towns.
“When there is no water in one place, they migrate to others where they can find water and other resources,” said Adamou Aboubakar, local development manager for the African Wildlife Foundation.