Management of the Mole National Park in the Northern Region has said it cannot be blamed for an elephant attack on the Minister of Tourism and her entourage.
According to the managment, it knew nothing about the Minister’s visit and as a result the necessary security arrangment could not be put in place for the team to tour the popular Widlife Park.
A disturbed elephant at the Mole National Park in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region on Saturday detained an entourage, led by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Catherine Afeku.
The huge animal was attracted to the road leading to the receptive facility at the park by a siren from the police motorcade which was leading the entourage, leaving the team stranded with fear for well over 30 minutes.
According to reports, the incident occurred just seven minutes drive into the park and for half an hour, the team could not move as the elephant kept hovering around the vehicles; which left the group which included journalists gripped with fear.
The situation was saved by an intervention of a tour guide who was apparently on his rounds in the park as he employed skills to bring the agitated elephant under control after 15 minutes, paving the way for the convoy to speed off to its destination.
Speaking to TV3 News Wednesday night, the Manager of the Mole National Park, Umaru Farouk said management only got to know the minister and her entourage were in the park when they’d been taken ‘hostage’ by the elephant.
“Ministers of state and high profile individuals visiting the park require certain level of security and so we expect these organizers will not just inform the Park Authorities about such visit but endeavour to meet and sit with the Park authorities and fashion out modalities that will not largely breach the protocol of the Minister and her entourage but at the same time also ensure that there’s security arrangement in the park so that the peace in animals natural habitat is not largely breached.
He added: “We always require that for such trips, arrangement is made so that the team is met at the gate and given as escot to where their final destination is within the park, that could have avoided this embarrassing situation.”
The incident is regrettable but we cannot blame the elephant
It shows Mole Game Park is live and teeming with wildlife which is good for tourists
Send us video clip if you have it.
I have visited a few game parks in and outside the continent. In more civilized and better managed parks, every visitor (irrespective of socio-political status, goes through security gates, are made to park their vehicles at a designated area, go through reception where they are given some orientation before allowed to drive (or be driven in safari vehicles) through the park.
A whole minister must know and respect such protocols if she knew her job. Next time it might be a lion. God save us all
Good one
the road they were on is not the road to the welcome center, offices, motel or hotel at the park. It was one of the loops that they were on…. Either they got lost on their way to where they were supposed to go after entering the main gate or they decided to take their ministerial portfolio to the animals…. as usual expecting the animals to give way to the sound of a siren…. This has nothing to do with the park management or security… it has everything to do with stupidity!
i even forgot. so what was a dispatch rider doing with the team on mole road and even at larabanga where there is no traffic to deal with? aaaba… some people always bring us to shame. sad