Lions, hyenas terrorise Hwange village
21/01/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
VILLAGERS in the Jambezi area of Hwange district say they are being stalked
by lions and hyenas which have killed nearly two dozen cattle.
The animals escaped from the Hwange National Park through a broken fence and
have been roaming through the neighbouring communities, destroying
everything in their path.
Jambezi councillor Timothy Dumulomo Tshuma said they had notified the Parks
and Wildlife Authority, but had only been promised training on how to handle
the animal threat.
Tshuma said in an interview on Sunday: “In Mbizha, one villager lost three
cattle in his kraal. The man was tending to his field; heard some rumble of
noise, rushed home and found lions inside his kraal feasting on his cattle.
He could do nothing.”
He said he had heard accounts of how young boys herding cattle were sent
scampering by lions which then attacked their herds before hyenas scrambled
for left-overs.
He went on: “The villagers have created groups to guard their livestock.
They now walk around armed with axes. We always advise villagers to be extra
cautious.
“The greatest problem is that our villages are next to the game park, and
with the fence damaged, it’s difficult to control these animals because they
escape and wander into populated areas sourcing for food.”
Last year, elephants killed two people within a week in Jambezi. The
elephants were met by scared villagers who threw sticks and stones at them
trying to chase them away, unknowingly provoking them in the process.