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Leonard Ncube-Victoria Falls Reporter
TWO teenage herdboys from Chidobe Village in Victoria Falls emerged heroes after they threw all caution to the wind and literally fought and scared away a roaring lion to rescue one of their employer’s cows from the jaws of the predator.
The incident happened on Wednesday at around 3pm.
Khulekani Ndlovu (16), originally from Somgolo area in Lupane, is lucky to be alive after a female lion that had cubs charged at him before it scratched his left leg on the ankle, leaving him with deep scars.
Khulekani was rescued by his colleague, Njabulo Ncube (17), who scared away the cat by screaming as he shook some tree branches and flapped his arms as well as clapping hands, resulting in the lion running away.
Khulekani lay helplessly on the ground as the lion approached him with the intention to finish him off after it struck him with its left front leg, while fleeing with the lion hot on its heels.
He said he dramatically dived behind a tree seeing that the lion was about to catch him. At that moment, the lion tried to grab him by its claws.
The two teenagers were herding cattle in the forest when the lion which had cubs attacked one of the cows. They immediately ran towards the lion to save the animal.
Khulekani was treated and discharged at Victoria Falls Hospital yesterday. For him, surviving the attack is a miracle.
“We were seated with Njabulo when we heard a cow groaning about 50 metres away. When we rushed to the scene, we came face to face with a lion attacking the cow,” he said as narrated his ordeal.
“We started making noise to scare it away and the lion abandoned the cow and turned the heat on us.
“It charged at us and we fled in different directions.”
Khulekani said he fled to a direction where there were the cubs.
“After running for about 50 metres I looked over my shoulder and saw the lion at a very close range and I dived and fell down and I couldn’t rise as I felt powerless,” he said.
“I saw it making a U-turn from a distance and charging at me and it struck me before it tried to grab me by its claws as I lay there helplessly on the ground.”
Upon seeing that his friend was in danger, Njabulo stopped running and came towards where the lion was and started shouting and shaking tree branches.
Khulekani sustained an injury on the left ankle and below the knee. He said after the lion had fled, Njabulo helped him rise to his feet and they walked back home.
Victoria Falls businessmen Messrs Morgen Dube and Christopher Ndiweni helped Khulekani with transport to the hospital.
Mr Ncube of BH28 Hlanganani village under Chief Mvuthu, who accompanied Khulekani to the hospital said he was still in shock.
“Initially when these two boys told me about the attack, I didn’t believe them until they explained to me and I saw the scars.
“Njabulo has had similar encounters with lions and he has saved cows from being attacked by lions on three occasions,” he said.
Mr Ncube said every year, they lose between 10 and 15 cattle to lions.
“I have personally lost two cows. Our appeal to the Government is that it should try and protect people from these wild animals by reserving grazing land for us and driving away wild animals to another area,” he said.
Online Reporter