A rogue lion that had been instilling fear and causing chaos in the Mutsago area of Marange, Mutare District, was finally tracked and put down by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) on Sunday, bringing an end to days of anxiety among villagers.
The lion, believed to have strayed from the nearby Save Conservancy, had already claimed the lives of four cattle, leaving a trail of loss and unease in its wake before it was shot dead on Sunday night.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development, saying efforts to locate the animal had been hampered by its elusive, nocturnal behaviour, which made tracking particularly challenging. Said Farawo:
After days of trauma and panic within the community, we finally managed to eliminate the problem animal. It had killed four cattle over the past three weeks.
Lions are nocturnal, so they move at night, making it challenging for us to track and eliminate the animal quickly.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the community for collaborating with us and working closely with our team.
We also appreciate the support received from the Mutare Rural District Council, the Civil Protection Unit, traditional leaders, and councillors in the area. Through our collective efforts, we have restored peace in the area.
This development follows a series of alarming incidents involving stray buffaloes that recently left six people injured, among them a schoolchild, in Mutare and Buhera districts. In response to the growing threat, one of the rogue buffaloes was put down in Marange.
Three of the victims were attacked near Dune Primary School in Ward 28, Buhera South, while the remaining three, including the child, sustained injuries during separate encounters in the Mutsago area, under the jurisdiction of Chief Marange.
ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has since urged members of the public to refrain from confronting or attempting to hunt the stray animals, stressing that trained wildlife rangers are best equipped to manage the situation safely and professionally.
He also warned against travelling on foot at night in affected areas, as doing so increases the risk of wildlife encounters.
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