Farmers to receive training against marauding elephants

Mesomagor (C/R), Oct. 10, GNA- The department of Game and Wildlife, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is to launch a capacity building programme for farmers living along the Kakum National park to protect them and their property from marauding elephants in the reserve.

The training programme, initiated by the Ministry of Lands and Forestry is expected to begin before the end of the year with resource persons from Japan and China.

Mr Cletus Nateg, senior wildlife officer in charge of the park, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday, at Mesomagor in the Assin District that the programme is geared towards the protection of farms in the area.

He did not give details of the programme.

In recent weeks, farmers living in and around the 'Aboabo camp' area in the Assin district, had had several of the their cocoa and food crop farms destroyed by elephants and have called on the authorities to address the problem.

Mr Nateg said his office has taken some precautionary measures, following reports of elephant raids and had stationed a patrol team at the Aboabo camp to stop the animals from straying.

He explained that the elephants had been straying from the reserve because some farmers and poachers encroached into the reserve to hunt and farm, thereby depriving the animals of their livelihood.