Okomu Oil rescues another elephant

The management of Okomu Oil Palm Company, on Monday, said it had, through combined efforts of its workers and Okomu National Park personnel, rescued an elephant unhurt.

The elephant had fallen into a ditch in the forest and was unable to come out. In a statement signed by its media consultant, Mr Fidelis Olise and made available to journalists in Benin city, Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm, Dr Graham Hefer, said the rescue efforts was made possible through a distress call from the CP of the Okomu National Park.

According to him, On Saturday afternoon, 6 March, 2021, a distress call came from the CP of the Okomu National Park, Mr Kareem, that an elephant had fallen into a ditch in the forest and was unable to come out and, therefore, help was sought from Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc to rescue the animal.

He said: “On receiving this information, the Managing Director, Dr Graham Hefer, assembled and personally led a rescue team which included Messrs Billy Ghansah, Ian Wickham, Menno Uys and Uche Kika, among others, to the scene.

“On arrival, it was discovered that the elephant had slipped into the ditch full of muddy water and could not extricate itself without the deployment of heavy duty equipment. 

“So, the company called for their pay loader and backhoe machines to create a step way for the elephant so it could climb out of the muddy hole.” 

“After about two hours of digging into the night, the team, aided by the Park Rangers, managed to carve enough of a step way for the elephant to gain his freedom again and to slip back into the forest, uninjured.

“This is the second elephant rescued by Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc on behalf of the Okomu National Park, the first being in October 3, 2019,” he said.

Appreciating the firm for the prompt response, the CP of the park showered praises on the Managing Director of Okomu Oil palm and the company for not only their assistance in saving the life of the elephant, but also for the company’s ongoing support for the park as a whole. 

He reiterated the good working relationship the company and the park had with their MoU, adding that “Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc was busy working closely with the park to develop its new management framework and policy to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the park for future generations.