Lions wreck havoc in Hwange district

Lions have wrecked havoc in Hwange, a district in western Zimbabwe about 800 km from the country's capital Harare, killing at least 42 cattle and over 25 goats over the past month, local media reported.

The villagers got affected mainly under Chief Mvuthu area in the district quoted by the national broadcaster ZBC News on Tuesday said besides losing their cattle and goats, it has become difficult for them to move freely in the bush as the lions kill the cattle during the day.

They say this forces them to let their cattle go unattended as they can not risk sending their children to the bush for fear of having them killed by lions, adding that elephants have also begun to wreck havoc in the fields raising fears that very little will be harvested this season.

Chief Mvuthu expressed concern over the issue saying villagers are currently not benefiting anything from the wildlife and campfire projects and called on the government to resolve the matter so that villagers can be compensated for their loss.

Parks and Wildlife Management Authority manager for the western region, Mr. Felix Chimeramombe confirmed that lions have been on the prowl in the area, saying the authority has already dispatched Problem Animal Teams from Zambezi National Park to the villages so that they can look Into the issue.

Over the weekend, a donkey was also killed by lions which are believed to have been coming from Chitore area which is adjacent to Victoria Falls Airport.

During this time of the year villagers usually struggle with elephants in the field affecting their harvest.

Hwange National Park has over 60,000 elephants.