Villagers kill marauding cheetah

Chronicle Reporter
August 3, 2009



VILLAGERS from Masikili Village in the Mabale area of Dete on Thursday evening killed a cheetah, which had wreaked havoc in the area for five months, killing several goats and calves.
The villagers set dogs on the cheetah after it had strayed into a goat kraal before moving in to spear it. Several dogs were injured during the fight.
In an interview in Mabale on Friday, Chief Nelukoba, whose area stretches from Gwayi to Dete, confirmed the incident adding that the villagers brought the cheetah to his home after the incident.
“The cheetah had been terrorising us for about five months and we had reported it to the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. Rangers from the national park tried to shoot it sometime ago but missed it, so the villagers decided to kill it on their own,” he said.
“They killed it with dogs and spears and brought it to my home. I was surprised to come home and find the cheetah in my yard. We reported the matter and officials from Hwange National Park came and took the animal.
“We don’t like killing animals but it had caused a lot of problems in the area. It had killed several goats, calves and chickens. Sometimes it would attack livestock not far away from people and on some occasions it would just kill livestock but not eat anything."
Chief Nelukoba said a pride of lions was also terrorising villagers in the area and had killed several cattle and donkeys.
“We have lost eight cows, 16 goats and several donkeys to the lions. Wild animals continue to be a problem here,” he said.
Villagers in Magoli Village, near the Hwange National Park said a lone lion had also killed a lot of livestock in the area, particularly donkeys.
In Chief Nekatambe’s area, which stretches from Dete to Hwange town, villagers are living in fear of elephants, which are roaming around the villages.
He said the animals were moving very close to homes and people are scarred that they may destroy buildings.
“So far we have not had a big problem with them because they have not caused damage but they normally don't like dogs, so we are afraid that if dogs bark at them they may be agitated and destroy homes. We don't have crops in the fields right now, so our fear is that they may attack our homes," he said.
“We also don't want the animals to get used to the villages so much because they will cause problems for us when our crops are in the fields. We lose a lot of crops to elephants every year and we are afraid that it could be worse if the animals get used to living in the villages."

Oh, so this one makes the news. over 90% of Zimbabwes Cheetah have been exterminated in the last decade by 'new farmers'.

Them f*ckers would and do kill anything that moves. I don't think marauding is a necessary criterion.