A 29-YEAR-OLD woman was trampled to death by an elephant
along the Zambezi River near Kariba while walking from a nightclub with her
boyfriend.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld as her next
of kin has not been advised.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks)
Public Relations Manager Mr Tinashe Farawo confirmed the incident which
occurred last Friday at about 3AM.
He said a search team had been dispatched to hunt down the
jumbo.
“We are currently looking for the problem animal with a
view to putting it down,” Mr Farawo said.
He said the woman was walking with her partner from a local
nightclub at around 3AM when they encountered the wild animal.
The man managed to escape but the woman was attacked.
Sources said she called out to her partner for help but he continued running
away.
In another incident, a six-year-old boy from Buhera was
killed and devoured by a hyena when he hid in the animal’s den during a game of
hide and seek with friends.
The boy, according to sources, allegedly hid in a hyena’s
cave and was attacked by the carnivorous animal. Friends are said to have gone
back home after they could not find him.
Mr Farawo said the boy was laid to rest yesterday.
“It is unfortunate that we encountered another sad incident
in Buhera, Manicaland Province, where a boy was mauled by a hyena last Saturday
while playing hide and seek with friends. We send our deepest condolences to
the family and Zimparks officials attended the funeral yesterday.
The boy went missing for two days, with friends telling
conflicting stories about his whereabouts. His father saw two hyenas near the
homestead and a village search party went searching in the forest. It found the
remains of the boy whose body had been dismembered by the animal.
Mr Farawo said Zimparks was looking for the animal with the
aim of translocating it to a conservancy.
“Our rangers are tracking down the animal and it will be
placed in a conservancy,” he said.
Mr Farawo urged villagers to stay away from wild animals
and to alert Zimparks if wild animals are spotted near communal areas.
He said Zimparks was carrying out educational campaigns
across the country on how communities can co-exist with wild animals.
“People must stay indoors at night when visibility is low
and animals are most active. They must put black plastics around kraals so that
wild animals such as lions cannot see what is inside, thereby protecting
livestock,” said Mr Farawo.
“Villagers must also not provoke wild animals and must
report to us if a dangerous wild animal is in their midst without trying to
deal with it”. Chronicle
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