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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A PRIDE of lions outside Victoria Falls has killed 35 cattle and an unconfirmed number of goats and donkeys in two wards since last month.
Villagers said some of the lions are collared cats that stray from nearby sanctuaries.
They allegedly sneak out and stray into villages or grazing lands where they kill livestock before making their way back.
Villages worst affected by this human-wildlife conflict are Monde, Mvuthu, Ndlovu, Mpumelelo, Sidobe and Chikandakubi.
Sidobe headman Mr Jaheliduna Ndlovu said affected villagers have been impoverished.
“A fortnight ago, lions killed eight cattle in one day and last Monday they killed five belonging to one villager.
“Last December they killed 18 cattle from our area and the village head Zikhali’s cattle were attacked in the grazing area,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He appealed for an urgent solution to the human-wildlife conflict.
“This is a situation which needs everyone’s input. We once suggested that we set up scout teams that will be stationed in the community to protect livestock, but some stakeholders didn’t buy the idea,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Some of the grazing land was fenced off by some tour operators and villagers have appealed to Hwange Rural District Council (HRDC) to revive the Communal Areas Management Programmes for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) programme.
Online Reporter