Two buffaloes wreak havoc in Marange

Post Reporter
March 6, 2009

TWO marauding buffaloes are creating havoc in Marange, with reports coming from the area indicating that they had attacked and seriously injured one person.

The buffaloes were first spotted in the area last Tuesday.
The identity of the victim could not be independently verified, but one villager said the victim was Samora Mundoza.
A villager, Mr Artwell Ndihaya, told The Manica Post last Friday that villagers in Marange were living in constant fear of being gored by the marauding buffaloes.
"People are afraid to go out even in daylight and as I speak right now, some people were seriously injured by the buffaloes, since they invaded our area last Tuesday. We suspect there are two buffaloes, a male and a female. One of the victims, Samora Mundoza, was seriously injured and was rushed to St Andrew's Mission Hospital, where he was later transferred to the Mutare Provincial Hospital," Mr Ndihaya said.
Another source from Marange, who asked for anonymity, on Tuesday confirmed that National Parks and Wildlife Management rangers were on the ground hunting for the buffaloes.
"Rangers are on the ground now hunting for the buffaloes. The rangers were dispatched last Friday soon after people reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Authority about the buffaloes," he said.
Original reports had indicated that three people were seriously injured, but it later emerged that one person was seriously injured and was recovering at the Mutare Provincial Hospital.
The buffaloes could have been coming from Devuli Range, a wildlife conservancy in Masvingo and they are believed to be two, though earlier reports had said they were five.
Manicaland provincial police spokesman, Inspector Brian Makomeke, confirmed that the buffaloes were on the loose in Marange, but referred all questions to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management.
National Parks and Wildlife Management officials in Mutare referred The Manica Post to their national spokesman, Ms Olivia Mufute in Harare, who was, however, said to be out of her office.