BODIES of two villagers killed by a hippopotamus along the
Gache Gache River in Kariba were retrieved at the weekend.
The two were killed by the hippo early Friday morning while
tending to their vegetable gardens. The body of Nhamo Munhira (40) was retrieved late Saturday
afternoon, while his uncle, Stewart Bumhira was retrieved yesterday morning.
Both were from Nyamhunga village in ward 2, Kariba rural,
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson
Tinashe Farawo has confirmed.
“It is unfortunate that two lives have been lost in Gache
Gache and they were killed by a hippo. Our rescue team, including rangers, was
on the ground after they were alerted. I can confirm that the body of the
second person was retrieved on Sunday morning,” Farawo told NewsDay.
He, however, said the rangers put down the problem animal. “As
Zimparks, we value human life and we have killed the hippo. As per our mandate,
we will strive in resolving human and animal conflict so that lives are not
lost.”
According to sources, the deceased were tending to their
vegetable gardens around 2am on Friday when a hippo attacked and pulled them
into the river.
Fellow villagers and fishermen alerted authorities
including Zimparks and the police.
Gache Gache Fishermen Association chairperson Tichaona
Manzungu, who was part of the rescue team, appealed to Zimparks to cull the
hippos and crocodiles, whose numbers have grown.
“Culling of hippos was last done in the late 1960s and
crocodiles have not been killed by authorities, further putting lives of
fishermen at risk,” he said.
In a related case, a 49-year-old Shamva woman on Thursday
last week cheated death after she was mauled by a crocodile while fishing at
Douglyn Farm in Shamva as cases of human-wildlife conflict rise.
Pondani Emery was casting her nets when she wrestled with
the reptile that had bitten into her arm and eventually overpowered it before
swimming to safety.
She was rushed to Shamva Hospital after the attack, where
she is, however, now stranded after the hospital demanded US$59 for treatment.
Mashonaland Central deputy spokesperson Assistant Inspector
Petros Masikati said he was yet to receive the report.
In an unrelated, case a 16-year-old Chipadze High School
boy was yesterday found hanging from a tree branch at Zaoga Prayer Mountain by
church members in Bindura.
Police said they are still withholding the name of the
deceased until his next of kin are advised. Newsday
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