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Victoria Falls Reporter
A VILLAGER and a game scout have survived attacks by a lion and a crocodile near Victoria Falls.
Konani Shoko, 26, of Chikandakubi village in Jambezi was out herding cattle on February 5 when a lioness leapt at him from behind.
He told Chronicle from his hospital bed: “I was herding cattle back home from the grazing lands. My father was on the other side of the river, looking for our other cattle.
“It was around 4PM when I heard an unusual sound behind me. When I turned to check, I saw an animal running towards me, but I wasn’t sure what it was due to the long grass and trees.
“I started running, screaming and shouting for help from my father.”
But before running any meaningful distance, Shoko was brought down by the powerful lioness which tackled him from behind.
His father, Funani Shoko, who heard his son’s screams, rushed to his side.
“He started attacking the lion with a log, and he was also screaming. Our screams probably annoyed the lioness because she then ran away,” said Konani.
But just as he thought the attack was over, the lioness turned round and came for him again.
“My father again screamed at it, throwing anything he could pick from the ground and it finally went away. I was left with two fractures on my hand and wounds all over my body,” Konani said.
With the two men still in shock, the lioness wandered off and killed one of their beasts – but they were just happy to be alive.
Locals say over 20 cattle and donkeys have been killed by lions in the area – although attacks on humans are rare.
Konani was hospitalised at Victoria Falls District Hospital hours after the February 5 attack. He was only discharged this past weekend.
In a separate incident, game scout Senzani Tshabangu, 40, was fishing at the Stanley and Livingstone Dam near the resort town shortly after 2PM on February 7 when a crocodile dived for him.
Hwange Rural District Council vice-chairman, Councillor Matthew Muleya, said the reptile caught Tshabangu’s left hand.
“He managed to fight it off and in the process he lost part of his thumb,” he said.
Meanwhile, Themba Mpofu, the Hwange West MP, has called on the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to set up camps manned by rangers in and around Hwange rural where dangerous animals are causing concern.
“We’re sick and tired of these rangers who just react to these incidents. We want them to be proactive, to be visible in such areas like Jambezi and Monde where dangerous animals roam freely,” he said.
“Right now, villagers are busy working their fields and before long, problem animals like elephants will be in the fields destroying crops.”
Mpofu said the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) was no longer benefiting communities affected by wild animals, particularly elephants.
“We’re working on reviving the Campfire programme so that people are compensated when their crops are destroyed,” he said.
Online Reporter