In a tragic wildlife incident, more than 80 buffaloes lost their lives after stampeding and drowning in the Chobe River, according to Namibia’s environment and tourism department. The calamity unfolded when the buffaloes, being pursued by lions from neighboring Botswana, plunged off a steep cliff into the river on the Namibian side of the border. This is not an isolated event; similar incidents have claimed the lives of hundreds of buffaloes in the past. Notably, around 400 buffaloes died in 2018 under comparable circumstances in the same river, which flows through Botswana’s renowned Chobe National Park, a hotspot for elephants, buffaloes, and giraffes. Mbeha Tadeus, an official from Namibia’s Kabulabula Conservancy, explained that buffaloes often flee into Namibia when chased by lions, leading to chaotic stampedes. Ndeshipanda Hamunyela, a spokesperson for Namibia’s Environment, Forestry and Tourism Ministry, confirmed the buffaloes originated from Botswana but could not specify if they were from Chobe National Park. The carcasses are being distributed to local communities, as seen in a video shared by Namibia’s public broadcaster, NBC, which reported the incident occurred around 05:00 local time (07:00 GMT).