Pride of lions kill cattle in Chipinge as elephants destroy crops
http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Tichaona Sibanda
11 November 2009

A pride of lions has since August this year killed 45 cattle and terrorized
villagers in Chipinge, where a herd of marauding elephants has also caused
massive destruction to crop fields.

The MDC MP for Chipinge West, Bonile Nyamudeza, told SW Radio Africa on
Wednesday that four lions have been invading resettlements in Maronga,
Tongogara, Mutema, Chaona and Charume, killing cattle and donkeys belonging
to villagers. Luckily no human life has been lost to the animals.

'Most of the cows were just killed and left there while some were eaten. So
far villagers have lost seven donkeys to the lions,' the MP said.

Nyamudeza said National Parks officers have so far failed to track down the
lions, but have killed two elephants, after attempts to drive them back to
the sprawling Save conservancy park from where they had strayed proved
difficult and dangerous.

The MP blamed poachers and some ZANU PF war veterans for destroying the
electrical fence that borders the conservancy. The war vets and a well known
ZANU MP have invaded land on the conservancy and have been cutting down the
fencing. At least 5 hectares of farmland have been destroyed by a large
group of elephants which invaded the villages of Goko, Nyunga and Musani.

The MDC legislator said more than 60 elephants had ravaged bean, tomato and
wheat fields, several times since October, and local villagers' attempts at
driving the animals away had proved futile.

The Department of National Parks had intensified surveillance in the area to
protect locals against marauding animals. Hundreds of people from several
villages along the Middle Sabi region, that straddles the Save conservancy,
are spending sleepless nights guarding their crops.

Nyamudeza said that the gravity of the situation jeopardises the communities
food supply. He also described the situation as alarming and called for
urgent intervention.

'The situation is quite serious and alarming. We need helicopters to
ascertain the exact number of the elephants that fanned out in all areas of
the district,' he said.

He said people in the district were living in fear as the presence of the
jumbos is leading to human-animal conflicts. The MP said most farmers would
harvest little if the situation was not controlled.

The problem remains the chaotic, violent, so called land reform. Until this
basic problem is resolved nothing can be dealt with effectively.

Yup, shouldn't have cut that fence and moved into their patch. Sympathy anyone?????????

Not hardly.

Forgive me for sounding too harsh....but perhaps the Lion could, over time, change their taste habits and end up relishing Zanu PF fillet.