Stray lions are terrorising Nechiora and Nechigonda villages in Chimanimani’s Ward 19.
Seven cattle have been killed in the area since 11 July with villagers now living in abject fear of possible attacks.
Lions and human beings can only co-exist when the lions are in game reserves or any other protected area, with the presence of any stray lion posing great danger to communities and such is the situation in Chimanimani Ward 19 where lions are believed to have escaped from Devure Ranche and their numbers are yet to be verified.
The lions that are terrorising Nechigonda and Nechiora villages since the 11th of July have so far killed a total of seven cattle and severely injuring a donkey that later died with the latest incident being a cattle attack at Nechiora village.
Owner of the cow that fell prey Mike Makapu says cattle are the main source of wealth in the area, hence the livestock attacks makes them poor.
The villagers say living with one of the big five animals in a village is extremely dangerous.
Efforts to capture or kill the cats continue to be procrastinated with others saying going to fetch water or looking for firewood at the nearby bushes is now a big risk.
The dreaded animals are proving to be difficult to catch as they have not fallen to traps by national parks officers deployed to deal with the situation thereby requiring an urgent intervention measure such as reinforcements to kill or capture the dangerous lions.
A move by the dreaded cats to taste human flesh might mean a shift from hunting cattle to people, a situation that can be detrimental to human survival and spark more public outcry. zbc
