The Sunday News
Although I agree that wild animals is very important and should not be abused or killed, I feel it is very unfair to us humans when these vicious and very dangerous wild animals start to attack or kill people.
The department of Parks and Wildlife should not wait until villagers are killed by animals such as lions and buffaloes.
Although many people have been attacked by animals the department in many cases waits until people are injured or even killed.
Villagers in Hwange and surrounding areas have been complaining for a very long time now that they have so far lost a lot of their domestic animals such as goats, sheep, donkeys and cattle to wild animals but it looks like very little is being done to help these villagers who are now starving after all their crops such as maize and sorghum were destroyed by elephants.
Last year a Grade Seven pupil was attacked and killed by a lion while on his way to school in Dete District.
Villagers had earlier on reported to the department about the problem animal but rangers only started hunting down the lion after an innocent life was lost.
If the department had responded in time many lives would have been saved.
We heard that an elderly woman was also killed by a lion when she went out of her hut in the evening to fetch firewood.
Other villagers tried to come to her rescue after hearing her screams but all their efforts were in vain as they arrived late after she had already been killed.
Recently the same thing happened in Zvavahera Village which is under Chief Nyashanu in Buhera where a 10- year-old boy was snatched by a hyena while playing with his siblings in the evening.
The incident plunged the whole community into deep mourning. This incident was even carried by the Manica Post. We expect to see a change in the future.
Eddious Masundire-Shumba,
Zvavahera Village,
Muzokomba-Buhera.
