Around 400 buffaloes drowned after stampeding into the Chobe River along the border between Botswana and Namibia, possibly while running away from lions, the tourism ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Video and photographs captured by the Serondela Lodge, a safari lodge close to where the animals were found, showed the dead buffaloes scattered across the river on Wednesday.
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The Chobe River flows along the northeastern border of the Chobe National Park, known for the large breeding herds of elephants, giraffe, sable and African buffalo, which make it a major tourist attraction in Southern Africa.
Initial investigations by Botswana and Namibia suggest that an exceptionally large buffalo herd was grazing in Namibia before they stampeded into the Chobe River. The buffalo trampled on each other and fell into the river from its steep banks, the ministry’s statement said.
Namibian media reported that the incident occured on Tuesday night.
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