The 19 cattle belonged to different farmers and were part
of 72 cattle penned in a Boma, a community project where cattle from the whole
or part of the village are housed in one big kraal. A Boma is a stockade where
farmers keep livestock safe at night and away from predators like lions and
hyenas. On average, one cow is sold for about US$500 in the area, which means
farmers lost cattle worth about US$9 500. Area councillor Godfrey Moyo (Ward 3)
said the affected farmers were distraught and will need Government support to
restock.
“Yes, the 19 cattle were struck and killed by lightning
last night (Friday) while housed in a Boma. We are all shocked as a community
and devastated, as you know cattle are a source of income and a symbol of
wealth. This is a disaster which needs State attention,” said Clr Moyo.
Clr Moyo said five communal farmers were affected by the
incident with one farmer having lost five beasts.
“This will affect many livelihoods in the era. Some lost
their entire herd.” Village head Mr Tymon Sibanda said villagers woke up to the
shocking reality of the incident and were still at a loss of words.
“We are still in shock over this development. Villagers are
devastated after 18 adult cattle and a calf were struck by lightning last
night. Not much is known as it took place at night but the situation is
terrible,” he said.
Mr Sibanda said according to their tradition and cultural
beliefs it is taboo to consume meat from a beast struck by lightning.
“The carcasses are usually burnt or buried and a
traditional cleansing ceremony is done. However, others conduct prayers
according to their denominations. In this case both prayers and traditional
cleansing were done and carcasses sold to Lion Encounter, an organisation
keeping lions for tourism purposes on the outskirts of Victoria Falls City. As
a helping hand Lion Encounter paid the affected farmers US$40 per beast,” he
said.
The Boma project was started in 2016 in the area with the
objective of trying to improve soil fertility and animal production.
Under the project farmers rotate to pen community cattle
and are also assisted by Non-Governmental Organisations in looking after the
animals. The NGOs provide services such as de-worming and dipping. The Boma is
moved from farmer to farmer at intervals of seven days to ensure that the
farmers also share manure.
The incident comes after a Chipinge farmer in February lost
25 Brahman cattle after they were also struck by lightning. Sunday News
0 comments:
Post a Comment