Stray lions kill at least 100 cattle in Zimbabwe

Masvingo – Stray lions in south-eastern Zimbabwe have killed at least 100 cattle since January, sending local residents into panic mode, a report said on Friday.

The state-owned Herald newspaper revealed that villagers had since contacted local authorities to urgently fix the perimeter fence around the Save Valley Conservancy area where the lions were being kept.

The villagers claimed that the lions roamed around the villages and killed a number of livestock.

A local chief, Hlasi Mundau said that they had approached Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri to intervene, as villagers feared that the lions would soon attack humans.

"Our fear is that, besides killing cattle around which the lives of our people revolves, the lions might also target humans because sometimes they roam freely even during the day," Mundau was quoted saying.

This came amid reports that at least 25 000 cattle in the country had died due to hunger induced by the El Nino phenomenon which had been felt throughout the southern African region. 

Provinces in the south-eastern parts of Zimbabwe had recorded the highest number of dead cattle.