Man left with protruding intestines after buffalo attack

A VICTORIA Falls man put up a spirited fight against a buffalo that had ripped his stomach open by clinging onto the beast's horns as it made a second charge to finish him off.

Given Ndlovu, 38, of Mvuthu area is lucky to be alive after the beast left him with protruding intestines after the vicious attack on Saturday.

Speaking from his hospital bed at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo yesterday, Ndlovu told Chronicle that the beast charged towards him while he was herding cattle.

"The lone buffalo came charging towards me as I was herding cattle on Saturday. It attacked me with its horns in the stomach and I fell down. I then held its horns as it attempted to attack me again. I then left the other horn and grabbed its nose and held it for some time and it then felt powerless and left," said Ndlovu, whose relatives declined that he be photographed.

Still in pain, Ndlovu said he removed his T-shirt and tied his stomach before calling his relatives for assistance.

"I came here on Saturday and I was operated on but I don't know when I will be discharged," he said.

Besides the ripped stomach, he had bruises on his body and a swollen mouth.

Hwange Rural District Council Ward 1 councillor, Matthew Muleya said they suspect that Ndlovu was attempting to poach when he was attacked.

"I can confirm that we rushed to the Forestry Commission land where a villager had been gored by a buffalo. We suspect that he was trying to poach and it turned nasty. We found his dogs barking surrounding the buffalo," said Muleya.

He said Ndlovu was rushed to Mpilo Hospital as his condition was very critical with protruding intestines after the attack.

"We are not sure if he was trying to poach because most of the times the villagers will be herding their cattle but if they meet wild animals, they attempt to poach. If they are successful, no one would know about it," said Muleya.

He said if it turns out nasty, the incidents are reported to the authourities but most villagers flee from the scene for fear of being arrested for poaching.

Villagers from Hwange, Binga and Victoria Falls live in fear of stray animals. Yesterday, Chronicle reported that a pride of lions killed 32 cattle in Hwange in two months and is reportedly terrorising villagers after straying from the nearby Hwange National Park.