Stray lion scares Kezi villagers and teachers

By Silas Nkala
From The Chronicle
July 2,2010



VILLAGERS and teachers in the Nathisa area in Kezi District are living in fear of a lion which is roaming the area.
It has reportedly killed livestock around the area.
A teacher at Nathisa Primary School said villagers, teachers and pupils in the area were living in fear of the lion, a development that has restricted people’s movements.
“We are living in fear that anytime we can fall prey to the lion which for a month has been roaming the area. We see the fierce animal pass by our school almost on a daily basis and our movements have been restricted to only in the afternoon.
“Recently it killed and ate three ostriches at a farm close to the area. It appears the farm owners and local leadership are just reluctant to take action over the issue and we are really in danger,” said the teacher. The teacher also alleged that a report had been made to the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority who have still not visited the area to capture the lion which is suspected to have come from nearby Matopos National Park.
Efforts to get comment from the Parks Authority’s western region manager, Felix Chikande, were fruitless at the time of writing. But the teachers and the villagers appealed to the Parks Authority to come and capture the lion before any human life is lost.