Elephant kills journalist in Sri Lanka

                                       

According to Punch, A journalist was trampled to death after a herd of wild elephants invaded a village in North-Central Sri Lanka, police said on Tuesday.

Priyantha Ratnayaka, a videographer, was stomped by one elephant while wildlife officials were trying to drive the herd away from the village, about 190 kilometres North-East of Colombo.

The area is a popular tourist destination where foreigners gather to watch elephants.

More than 70 people were killed in elephant attacks in Sri Lanka in 2015 and about 150 elephants were killed during that time, mostly by poisoning or shooting by farmers.

Xenophobia: Nigerian Union Reports New Attacks in South Africa

The Nigerian Union in South Africa on Tuesday reported new xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other foreigners in Sternkopf, Namakwa Municipality, Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

The President of the Union, Ikechukwu Anyene, said in Pretoria, South Africa, that the Northern Cape Province Chapter Chairman of the Union reported the incident to its National Secretariat.

“The National Secretariat of Nigeria Union has received report of xenophobic attacks from Kennedy Osagie, the Northern Cape Province chapter chairman of the union. The report indicated that South Africans attacked Nigerians.

Two cars belonging to Nigerians have been reportedly burnt and they have been going from house to house looting and destroying their property,” he said.

Anyene, who said that there were 20 Nigerians living in the affected community, added that none had been reported dead in the incident.

“Six Nigerians have taken refuge with their families in nearby SpringBok community and they do not know the whereabouts of the other Nigerians,’’ he said.

He said that the Union had reported the incident to the Nigerian Consulate in South Africa.

Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa,Uche Ajulu-Okeke, confirmed the incident, saying the mission had commenced investigations.

“The Nigerian Consulate in South Africa has received report of new xenophobic attacks in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The mission has commenced investigation into the incident and will ensure that Nigerians are safe in South Africa,” she said.

South Africa was hit by a wave of deadly xenophobic attacks between March and April 2015, with locals attacking and killing African migrants.

The tension subsided after widespread condemnation.

BellaNaija 

Walker in Germany is killed by an escaped zoo elephant

Animal rights campaigners say that a zoo like this one in Leipzig should be used to re-house the elephant involved in the attack

A man taking his regular morning stroll in south-west Germany was attacked and killed by an elephant which had escaped from a circus, police say.

The man, 65, was walking in woods near the town of Buchen when he encountered the female African elephant, called Baby.

The 34-year-old elephant was later captured and returned to the circus.

Police are now investigating how the elephant got out of its enclosure and why it acted so aggressively.

"There's evidence of third-party involvement," Heidelberg police spokeswoman Yvonne Schmierer told the AP news agency.

"Either someone forgot to shut the enclosure, or the elephant was released intentionally."

Local news agency Stimme reported that the elephant had previously injured at least two people - including a man who was thrown in the air and a 12-year-old boy who suffered a broken jaw when he was hit by its trunk.

Stimme reported that the German branch of animal rights group Peta was urging the authorities to remove the elephant from the circus.

BBC