In the early hours of Tuesday morning near the Kabulabula area at the Namibia-Botswana border, disaster struck a massive herd of buffaloes. Fleeing a pride of lions migrating from Botswana, the buffaloes plunged off a steep cliff into the Chobe River, which marks the boundary between the two countries. Driven by panic and the weight of hundreds of animals behind them, the herd trampled over one another as they hit the water, causing nearly 100 buffaloes to drown in a chaotic stampede.
Namibian officials confirmed that the incident happened just after 5:00 am, highlighting that the pattern of mass drownings in this region is not new. “Whenever they are chased by lions, they try to cross over into Namibia and start trampling over each other,” explained Mbeha Tadeus of the Kabulabula Conservancy, describing the herd instinct and the dangerous geography around the river. According to initial reports, the buffaloes originated from Botswana, with Chobe National Park—famous for its rich populations of wildlife—being a likely starting point.
As news spread, locals flocked to the riverbanks to salvage the buffalo meat. Meat from the drowned animals traditionally goes to surrounding communities, and this year, efforts were made to divide the meat among the three main zones of the Kabulabula Conservancy. However, the sheer number of people made orderly distribution difficult, with police unable to control the chaotic rush for carcasses. Community members explained that while previous incidents saw outsiders overpowering locals for the meat, this year more residents from the conservancy were able to benefit.
This is not the first such tragedy in the area. In 2018, more than 400 buffaloes died after a similar chase led them into the river, and in 2023, over 100 perished under nearly identical circumstances. Conservationists remain alarmed, emphasizing the ecological risks from decaying carcasses contaminating the water and attracting predators closer to human populations.
Buffaloes, weighing up to 900kg, rely on the safety of numbers to survive Africa’s predators. However, as this devastating event demonstrates, herd instinct can prove fatal when it meets natural obstacles like cliffs and fast-flowing rivers. Local authorities continue to monitor the site and coordinate cleanup along the riverbank while reflecting on how such dramatic events highlight the fragile balance of life in Africa’s wild frontier
