http://allafrica.com/stories/201504220759.html


Zimbabwe: Lion Kills Boy (14)

By Fungai Lupande



A 14-year-old boy was on Monday killed and devoured by a lion while guarding a family maize field in Mariga Village in Chapoto near Kanyemba Border Post in Mashonaland Central. Chief Peter Enock Chapoto said the child was killed and eaten around 3am and only the head was recovered. "They were sleeping in the field guarding against rhinos, elephants and buffaloes," said Chief Chapoto.

"Usually, we build a watch tower so that those manning the field sleep on a high place. However, the boy was in the company of his uncle and they decided to sleep on the ground.

"The lion came and attacked him before dragging him away."

Chief Chapoto said the area had a lot of wildlife and people had been killed by lions before.

"Almost four years ago, people were being attacked and killed by lions in this area. Usually, we co-exist with wild animals and we were surprised by the recent attack. We have informed the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Mbire Council." Police said they had not yet received the report.

That's terrible news. I believe it's close to CM safaris Motombo camp in Dande ward 2?
Sounds like the lioness' need to be put on quota.

Nick

When I hunted with CMS in 2013, we went through Kanyemba several times. Must be their area.

Horrible news.

Yes, it is located on the Zambezi in the area CMS acquired from Gavin Rorke. Buzz and I hunted lion there in October 2013. We had lions on bait but the male was a young male. They moved up and down the river throughout the communal area killing goats, etc. We speculated that it was only a matter of time before they started snatching humans.

I wonder how effective bear strength pepper spray would be on a lion? I realize that this poor boy probably never would have had time to deploy it as this was most likely a predatory ambush style attack. But all the same I wonder if pepper spray would work on a lion or a leopard?

It seems to me that on several lion attack reports that I've read the victim or others would have had time to deploy pepper spray.

Pepper Spray on a Lion? Really ? I will buy you the Pepper Spray you need if you would like to do a Test Report ?!!!

I'm sure the Lions would love to have a little pepper seasoning on their meal

Maybe someone can try it on ranch lion hunts or on jumbos or buffs
Put it on video and call it Dangerous Green hunts

Given a choice I would ALWAYS carry a .470 Double or some such, while in DG country. However that isn't always an option now is it? A coastal brown bear is larger and nastier than any African lion that ever walked the planet. So why wouldn't it work on a lion?

while it would probably work, I sure would want some accurate shooters backing me up.
Don't believe it's on my bucket list of to do's.

quote:

Originally posted by surestrike:
Given a choice I would ALWAYS carry a .470 Double or some such, while in DG country. However that isn't always an option now is it? A coastal brown bear is larger and nastier than any African lion that ever walked the planet. So why wouldn't it work on a lion?

I imagine the 14 year old goat herder was thinking the same thing...

Sad for both the boy and the lion.

quote:

Given a choice I would ALWAYS carry a .470 Double or some such

Poor kid, a victim of the Zim economic policy, just couldn't afford it.

quote:

They moved up and down the river throughout the communal area killing goats, etc
We speculated that it was only a matter of time before they started snatching humans.

Its typically late age old struggling lions finding it increasing difficulty to successfully hunt wild game
that will tend to instead begin snatching easier target humans, is it not?

I simply state that based on the written statements by some of the credible respected type white hunter greats
that spent much time hunting the cats including the man eaters.

Of course the colonial British employed people to hunt/reduce areas of lion numbers, that were sniffing around near
their heavily manned rail constructions line camps.
I gather many were shot not because they were actual man-eaters, but simply because of the opportunistic bounty on offer!
THE British refused payment on some lion kills because they assessed them to be from outside the areas-boundaries they wanted
them cleared from....to an opportunistic bounty hunter back then, every dead lion is potential money in his eyes.

quote:

Originally posted by Trax:

quote:

They moved up and down the river throughout the communal area killing goats, etc
We speculated that it was only a matter of time before they started snatching humans.

Its typically late age old struggling lions finding it increasing difficulty to successfully hunt wild game
that will tend to instead begin snatching easier target humans, is it not?

Not necessarily - changed habitats can impact the wildlife as their primary food source so lions must sometimes practice prey switching to another food source there is, like humans.