‘Mutware the Elephant’ declared dead

Akagera National Park authorities announce that Mutware the most well-known elephant, has died.

Mutware was one of the original 26 young elephants, who were all under the age of eight years, brought to Akagera from Bugesera in 1975 in what was, at that time, a groundbreaking conservation effort to eliminate human-wildlife conflict from the area and restore the species to Akagera where elephants had previously existed.

At approximately 48 years old Mutware was one of the oldest elephants in Akagera. He was easily recognizable to those who knew him, he had broken his tusks years ago.

Mutware was famous, raised alongside humans as a young elephant, he was familiar with people and, in the past, was quite a tourist attraction with visitors coming to touch or feed him.

Unfortunately, however, he was also notoriously disruptive and had a long rap sheet of anti-social behavior, sadly all as a result of his early human interaction.

In his last years Mutware would spend most of his time at the very southern tip of Lake Ihema, often in the water, only traveling through the park once a year for a few weeks at a time.

Mutware’s death appears to be of natural causes.

UM– USEKE.RW