http://www.bulawayo24.com/inde...stock+to+hyenas.html

Beitbridge villagers lose livestock to hyenas

by Staff reporter

2012 February 18 02:01:28 | 640 Views


VILLAGERS in Maramani area and surrounding areas in Beitbridge West are losing their livestock, mostly donkeys, to hyenas.

The councillor for the area, Enock Ndou expressed concern over the development. He said villagers were losing an average of 20 donkeys every month.

"We are really concerned about the problem of hyenas, which are causing havoc at Maramani area. The animals mainly target donkeys while they graze at night and you find that every month we get reports of about 20 donkeys having been attacked by hyenas.

"We are calling on relevant authorities to address this problem as a matter of urgency before villagers lose all their livestock," he said.

One of the villagers who spoke to Chronicle yesterday, Mrs Monica Tlou, said last week, the hyenas killed her two donkeys and four goats while they were grazing in the bush.

Clr Ndou said stray elephants from neighbouring Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa were also destroying crops and canals at Bili and Jalukange irrigation schemes. However, at Shashe Irrigation Scheme, the fence has since been electrified to deter jumbos from straying into the fields.

"We also continue to encounter the problem of stray elephants from South Africa that are causing havoc at irrigation schemes. This is an issue of grave concern to us considering that this has been going on for sometime with no end in sight," he said.

Clr Ndou said elephants were also posing a threat to children, particularly those travelling long distances to school.

Last year, elephants from the Kruger National Park descended on Shashane and Tshamaswiswi Irrigation Schemes where they destroyed winter crops. At Tshamaswiswi Irrigation Scheme, the animals pulled down the fence.

The elephants also killed three people among them a 40-year-old man and a pregnant woman and her three-year-old toddler.

The trio, from Tshabili village under Chief Matibe area, was trampled to death by one of the elephants in two separate incidents in May last year.

The body of one of the victims was picked up near his maize field and it was at an advanced state of decomposition. The man was attacked while trying to scare the jumbo away after it had strayed into his maize field.

Other two victims, a woman and her baby, were killed near the Limpopo River the following day. The elephant was, however, tracked down and subsequently killed by a local safari operator.