ARUSHA, Tanzania, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A grape farmer was trampled to death by a stray wild elephant in Tanzania's central district of Chamwino, police said on Friday.
Ernest Kimola, acting Dodoma Regional Police Commander, said the elephant might have been strayed from Ruaha National Park or Kizigo Game Reserve as the affected village is close to the two sanctuaries.
He said the 25-year-old man was attacked by an elephant when he was preparing a grape farm in the area located 187 kilometers from Tanzania's capital Dodoma.
He said that incident occurred on Thursday at around 9 a.m. when the man was busy digging canals in his grape farm. Dodoma is the only region growing grapes in the east African nation and this time around people are busy preparing new farms for the lucrative crop.
Another villager was badly injured and has been hospitalized at the Mvumi Mission Hospital for treatment.
The regional police chief said that wildlife rangers have been sent into the affected village to chase the strayed elephant into the wilderness.
Peter Songoro, medical doctor in-charge of Mvumi Mission Hospital, said the injured man had already undergone surgeries, as one of his legs and ribs were broken.
One of the eyewitnesses, Silvester Kwanga, said that the elephant landed in the village at around 9 a.m., when people were busy with their farming activities.
According to Kwanga, the elephant disappeared into the wilderness soon after the incident.
The tragedy came barely few weeks when villagers in central Tanzania's district of Bahi were reported to have been living in fear following the frequent invasion of wild elephants.
In May, four elephants roamed the University of Dodoma campus, bringing the university to a standstill for the day. Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) rangers were called in and the elephants were eventually scared off.
In June, elephants in Arusha destroyed 43 hectares of crops. Also that month, two farmers in Singida were killed by a herd of 32 elephants.
