AN expedition to harvest the much sought after mopani worms
(amacimbi) almost turned tragic for a security guard employed at Whitewater
High School in Matobo District, Matabeleland South, as he found himself
wrestling with a leopard which he miraculously fended off by choking it.
Mr Abednigo Moyo of Halale Village, situated near the
famous Njelele Shrine, used bare hands to wrestle and choke the big cat after
it attacked him while he was harvesting amacimbi. His brother who had also
accompanied him to the amacimbi expedition emerged from the bushes and finished
off the vicious predator by axing it. So daring was Mr Moyo that his final
technique to outfox the predator saw him shoving his hand into its mouth in an
attempt to block its windpipe.
For all his efforts to save his life, he was, however,
later arrested for poaching. He appeared before a Plumtree magistrate on
Thursday last week facing charges of killing an endangered animal. He was
remanded out of custody to 3 February on $300 bail.
Sunday News tracked Mr Moyo last week who narrated his near
brush with death and how he fought the animal to its death. Mr Moyo said the
incident happened on 13 January at Gumela Farm situated along the
Bulawayo-Maphisa Growth Point Road.
“The day started well,” he recalled. “My brother Isaac, his
wife and I went to Gumela Farm owned by Mr William Ncube and we sought
permission to harvest amacimbi at his property, which we were granted.”
He said while they were harvesting the delicacy he heard
his dogs barking and decided to go and investigate. At that point his brother
and his wife were harvesting amacimbi on the other side of the farm. When I
reached the area, it was a thicket and I could not see anything, my brother and
his wife continued to harvest amacimbi,” said Mr Moyo.
He said he then decided to continue with harvesting but all
of a sudden, he heard an unusual sound of something approaching from the
thicket.
“Before I could even see or react, a leopard emerged
charging towards me. I tried to run but it was too late, the predator attacked
me and I don’t know how I gathered the strength and managed to grab it by the
neck before it could savage me,” he said. Mr Moyo said, however, the grip was
not strong and the leopard freed itself but it slipped and lost balance.
“I realised that if I don’t do something the animal would
kill me. It was either I die fighting or I get mauled.”
He said when it opened its mouth ready to sink its teeth on
him, he shoved his hand into its mouth and grabbed its windpipe. “It was
painful because at the same time, the leopard was biting my hand but I was
choking it from inside while the other hand was fending off its claws. I was
also screaming at the same time. The struggle went on for a minute or two and I
could see the animal was also losing power from the choke,” he said. Mr Moyo
said his brother heard him screaming and rushed to investigate. “When Isaac
arrived, the leopard was already losing strength. He then axed it and that is
how I managed to eventually free myself. It died and we left it there,” he
said. Mr Moyo was rushed to Natisa
Clinic for treatment.
“I called at my workplace and told them what had happened
and after that I went to Natisa Clinic where I was given some injections and
the wounds were stitched. It was not serious because that same night I managed
to report for work,” he said.
But his woes were not yet over despite the heroics to save
his life. “In the morning rangers came to my homestead and arrested me and my
brother for poaching. The rangers were carrying the skin of the leopard and
told us that we had killed an animal classified as an endangered specie and we
were taken to the police. It is the law but I wonder what else I could have
done under such circumstances. The issue was either I get killed to save the
endangered leopard or fight for my life.”
His brother is also out on $300 bail. Sunday News
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