KiIler lions ‘reign of terror’ ends

By Winfilda Shana and Kuzivakwashe Muzhona

From The Herald
January 23, 2010

PARKS officials have said a lioness has been teaching its two cubs to hunt by attacking and killing villagers under Chief Chapoto’s area in Kanyemba.

The predators have killed three people in recent weeks making it four human kills in January alone.

Parks’ rangers, working with the Mbire Rural District Council, have killed four of the lions but as of yesterday one was still walking wounded, leaving villagers wary of venturing too far from their homesteads.

The lions have also killed four cows.

In an interview yesterday, Chief Peter Chapoto said some of the terror-stricken villagers had abandoned their homes to stay at his place.

Among the lions killed were two lionesses and two cubs.

"The people are not comfortable anymore. They are even afraid to travel during the night lest they meet the wounded lion," he said.

He identified the victims as Obvious Kasauta (22), Ramence Murarakwa, Jaison Misioni and another man only identified as Kelvin (22).

Chief Chapoto said Murarakwa, a council employee, had died while trying to rescue people who were being attacked by the lions.

Kelvin of Chiramba Village died when the lions pounced on him as he fished in the Zambezi River.

National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Ms Caroline Washaya-Moyo yesterday said the authority had sent a team to track down the wounded lion.

"We are still making frantic efforts to track down the lion that escaped. The teams tracking down the wounded lion yesterday (Thursday) requested for impala bait after failing to lure the lion with a goat," she said.

She said among the lions killed was an old partially blind cat that had missing teeth and one of the lionesses and its cubs.

"It is common among lions that when they are old and have lost some of their teeth they look for soft meat and they can only find it in humans since they will be too slow to chase wildlife."

Ms Washaya-Moyo said their investigations had established that the lioness was teaching its cubs to hunt.

Mashonaland Central police have advised people in wild animal-infested areas against travelling at night.

Last rogue lion killed

Herald Reporter
January 29, 2010

The remaining lioness from the pride of five that killed four villagers in Kanyemba, along Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia and Mozambique, was killed on Tuesday.

National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers shot the lions after they wreaked havoc in Chief Chapoto’s area forcing villagers to flee their homes to seek refuge at Chapoto Primary School.

The rangers killed four of the lions, two lionesses and two cubs, last week while the remaining one escaped wounded.

However, rangers tracked it down and killed it this week and villagers are starting to return to their homes.

National Parks spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said: "Our team managed to track down the remaining lioness and shot it dead. We are glad to say that people have safely returned to their homes after the lion was killed and we hope the scenario will not repeat itself."

Parks investigations showed one of the felines was old and had missing teeth. The lion was also partially blind and opted for humans as easy prey. Ms Washaya-Moyo said one of the lionesses was teaching its cubs to hunt by attacking people.