Lions devour mentally-ill man in Zimbabwe


HARARE, July 17 -- A suspected mentally-ill man was last Friday devoured by a pride of marauding lions at a motel in the northern Zimbabwean border town of Chirundu, The Herald reported on Thursday.

Only parts such as three leg bones, two fingers, three ribs and his private organs were recovered after the attack on July 11 at around 2 a.m. behind Chirundu Valley Motel, the newspaper said.

Also recovered were the victim's blood-stained clothes. Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident, adding that the remains of the man were taken to Karoi Hospital mortuary.



A guard who was manning the motel witnessed the incident after peeping from a safe hideout when he heard the man scream as the roaring lions attacked him.

Lions are usually active from dusk until nightfall and Nyathi urged visitors to Chirundu and residents to avoid moving at night in the wildlife-infested area and to be extremely vigilant as an attack on humans normally leads to a spate of targeted killings.



"Visitors and residents in the area are warned to be cautious and avoid walking at night as history has shown that once lions taste human flesh they begin hunting for it," he said.

He said police had alerted the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority about the incident.

So few lion, so many people...

Sounds like a problem animal control hunt to me ...

Chuck

Who would have guessed that Zim lions now stay in motels. Probably happened in the bar - I hear lions can be pretty mean drunks.

Perhaps a capture and relocation to the Presidential Palace. The lion will be easy to identify. He will be habitually licking this butt in an attempt to get rid of the after taste and will be severely constipated because nothing can get a native moving.

Perry

I recommend that you do not party at the Off Road Night Club and then try to walk home late at night. With elephant in town and hippo and lion also around it does not seem like a good place for a late-night stroll.

Gee! Zimbabwe must no longer be a good place to go and "film" the nice beasties! After all, a local police officer is quoted as having "urged" visitors and residents to be cautious in the "wild life infested area". (He makes it sound like God's creatures -doing what comes naturally, I guess, {even if an isolated example} - are creating some kind of insect or germ "infested" area. Apart from that, I was astonished, astonished!, I tell you (like Claude Rains in "CASABLANCA") that lions eat people they find walking around in the dark. I mean, National Geographic and countless so called " wild life documentaries" never told me this! I would "urge" Ganyana not to let word of this get out in the US. PETA might say that he is working up bad feelings against human dining felines. (They probably would object to calling them "man eating lions")

I am reminded that this was a man who died and I make no joke about his death. (If anything, I want his death promptly avenged) It's the deep down anti hunting culture that I am making fun of.

I couldn't even imagine watching something like that go down. Do they kill the lions now that they have fed on human flesh??

Same pride killed and ate the assistant cook at the Rifa education camp where we often hold some of the PH traing last year. There was a junior school in camp- found the remains whilst watching the pride on a waterbuck kill! (Then I understood why the morning coffee hadn't arrived). Then they faded and fast! By the time parks decided to shoot them they were nowhere to be found! After two weeks the search was called off.

Last year we had a man eater pitch on the proficiency exam near Chirundu, and a couple of years ago a leaner PH got munched in the same area...137 people got munched during the building of the Otto Beit Bridge in 1936/37 and the first white man to camp at what is now chirundu estates was killed by a lion in 1902 (Freddy Cruz). So it is an endemic problem.

Will the lion get shot? I doubt it_ the talk is , it is a "midzimu" lion - ie a transmorgified spirit of a dead chief. To shoot it would be bad Ju Ju - like having bob live to 110!

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Same pride killed and ate the assistant cook at the Rifa education camp where we often hold some of the PH traing last year. There was a junior school in camp- found the remains whilst watching the pride on a waterbuck kill! (Then I understood why the morning coffee hadn't arrived). Then they faded and fast! By the time parks decided to shoot them they were nowhere to be found! After two weeks the search was called off.

Heck, I spent a day at the Rifa education camp last year.

Was this when the cook was killed?

The Herald, November 8, 2007


A CHIRUNDU man was last week killed and devoured by a lion while coming from Chirundu Business Centre where he had gone for shopping.

Cosmas Matara, who was 42, of Rifa Educational Centre, was on his way from the business centre at around 7pm when the lions pounced on him.

His brother Samson Guvheya, who followed him minutes later, heard some noise before he noticed the spoor of a lion and a trail of blood.

He also saw markings of shoes being dragged and followed them, at the end of which he discovered some bones, a lower left limb and blood-stained shirt.

A report was made to the police and the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Paul Nyathi said it had not been conclusively established how many lions were involved in the attack.

He warned people living in areas teeming with wild animals to desist from walking during odd hours.

What is the value of a lion hunt? US$50K?

What is the average award for wrongful death in Zim? US$500?

Sounds to me like the lion should live.

quote:

bad Ju Ju - like having bob live to 110!

He and Nelson and Fidel should retire to this hotel and enjoy some nature...

Dateline: Chirundu- it has been learned that the family of this individual has retained the ACLU recommended US law firm of Goldberg and Goldstein to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the motel, Parks and Wildlife, the Zimbabwe government and later to be named John Does. Said senior partner Jacob Goldberg " the fault here is obvious and we fully expect the family to be awarded trillions of (Zim) dollars when we get our day in court". When reminded that trillions of Zim dollars would only amount to a few hundred dollars US, the noble barrister was quoted as saying " never mind". the family is now seeking additional legal aid.

harles - yup that was the newspaper report about the last "confirmed killing". However, as Chirundu has over 600 full time prostitutes (with no real access to birth control pills or even condoms) and almost no children...no prizes for guessing how unwanted babies are disposed of!

Lions loves chirundu men ...can`t combat that.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
harles - yup that was the newspaper report about the last "confirmed killing". However, as Chirundu has over 600 full time prostitutes (with no real access to birth control pills or even condoms) and almost no children...no prizes for guessing how unwanted babies are disposed of!

It was definitely a happening town after dark. Amazing to see so many people running though the streets with a bull elephant snooping around when we were there.

Sounds like the bar scene from Star Wars!!

Elephants wandering through the streets, people getting eaten by Lions, hundreds of prostitutes, no coffee available. I'm feeling the faint desire to visit this place wherever the hell it is....

gerrys375,

I too do not want to joke about a man's death.

But, may I point out that your posting may be regarded by some in PETA as sexist in the extreme? It is simply not PC to refer to a "man eating lion", you should be careful and rather use a neutral term like "a person eating lion"!

quote:

.....................................

PETA might say that he is working up bad feelings against human dining felines. (They probably would object to calling them "man eating lions")

I am reminded that this was a man who died and I make no joke about his death. (If anything, I want his death promptly avenged) It's the deep down anti hunting culture that I am making fun of.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Dateline: Chirundu- it has been learned that the family of this individual has retained the ACLU recommended US law firm of Goldberg and Goldstein to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the motel, Parks and Wildlife, the Zimbabwe government and later to be named John Does. Said senior partner Jacob Goldberg " the fault here is obvious and we fully expect the family to be awarded trillions of (Zim) dollars when we get our day in court". When reminded that trillions of Zim dollars would only amount to a few hundred dollars US, the noble barrister was quoted as saying " never mind". the family is now seeking additional legal aid.

Good one.

The elephants hang around trying to snatch food off the semi's parked at the bridge.

Andrew McLaren:

Sadly enough, "political correctness" has run amok so far that you may be right -and I can expect to hear from some feminist group -although, wait a minute! They don't read AR, do they? Nah! Never happen. (although maybe Saeed is a secret agent of the feminists. Could be, you know)

quote:

Elephants wandering through the streets, people getting eaten by Lions, hundreds of prostitutes, no coffee available. I'm feeling the faint desire to visit this place wherever the hell it is....

Sounds like it beats Saturday night in Vegas

quote:

Lions devour mentally-ill man in Zimbabwe

Was his name president for life Robert Mugabe?

Andy

LRH270:

I do wish you Westerners would stop bragging so much!

Maybe the man eater is down...Barry van Heerden shot a lion in the middle of the slum/brothel quater of Chirundu town on tuesday night.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Maybe the man eater is down...Barry van Heerden shot a lion in the middle of the slum/brothel quater of Chirundu town on tuesday night.

The Lion equivalent of raiding the fridge for a late night snack. Poor bastard made distasteful culinary choices...

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Maybe the man eater is down...Barry van Heerden shot a lion in the middle of the slum/brothel quater of Chirundu town on tuesday night.

Very interesting. Hopefully he got the right one.

Thanks for the update.