Cavan Warren of the Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust, in an interview with The Zimbabwean, blamed the two deaths on poachers who laid a snare which injured and infuriated a lioness.
Warren said the pride of three lions, a lioness and her two sub-adult cubs, terrorised the Mahombekombe suburb of Kariba since Monday.
“The large lioness had fresh scars from a snare on its neck and one of its back legs was injured. I think it is more than fair to say that the poacher that laid the snare was responsible for the death of the two people and the subsequent loss of the three lions,” said Warren.
“We can be rightfully be proud of the professional manner in the way this exercise was carried out by Parks and other interested people involved,” he added.
“On Tuesday 5 March at approximately mid-day a report was received that a lady (Sharon Mahwere, 43) had been killed by a lion not more than 200 meters from the houses,” he narrated.
“Just prior to her death she was with a friend (Daniel Muzarabani) who was able to get away and then informed the police. Parks was immediately dispatched to the scene,” added Warren.
He said KAWFT was informed of the incident by the Parks Manager for the Charara Safari Area, which covers Kariba, Samson Chibaya.
Parks officials who had been searching the area for the female victim discovered a second body a (Jazel Meki Musenji, 77) who had been killed on 4 March and had been partially devoured by the lions.
A goat was sourced from a resident in order to bait the lions, but there was no success during the first night.
Parks then launched extensive patrols and carried out awareness campaigns in surrounding communities, to prevent further casualties, while a subsequent ambush for the animals was carried out but unfortunately resulted in the accidental death of a ranger during a shooting attempt at the canines.
“A crocodile trap was moved on to site and baited with a dead goat.
At 1400 hours a platform measuring three by one and a half by three meters high was erected at a suitable distance from the croc trap.
Half a zebra carcass was hung two and a half meters off the ground near the croc trap,” narrated Warren.
One cub was shot in the evening, while the other fell into the trap while the lionesss, which had been evasive, was killed close to midnight on 7 March.
Post published in: News
Its tragic to read of human lives lost but its sad to kill the lions too. When will we as people stop to think God created this world for humans only. That’s being cruel. Animals attack out of fear when they feel threatened and to co-exist with them, give them their space of the rights to live their lives uninterrupted the same way we cry for human rights.God is the sum of his creations.