Marauding lions kill 2 in Zimbabwe
2013-03-07 14:50
Special Report
Chinese vice premier Wang Yang has urged Zimbabwe to ensure peace and political stability ahead of elections this year.
Harare - Escaped lions have killed two people near a
Zimbabwean game reserve, wildlife authorities said Thursday, warning residents
not to venture into the bush.
"Two people, a male and female, were attacked and
killed by lions in Kariba," a resort town, Caroline Washaya-Moyo, Zimbabwe
Parks and Wildlife Authority spokesperson told AFP.
"The authority together with the police immediately
deployed manpower to hunt for the lions."
The authorities believe that two or more cats may have
escaped from a reserve and have sent in professional hunters with expertise in
tracking and shooting lions.
One ranger has been injured in the hunt, after he was
accidentally shot by the tracking teams.
The authorities are warning people in the Kariba, 365km
north west of Harare to avoid travelling on foot at night and stop using foot
paths that cut across thickets.
Residents were also dissuaded from holding church meetings
in the bush.
Washaya-Moyo dispelled reports that another person was
attacked by lions.
"Reports of a third person having been attacked by the lions
could not be ascertained, as the area has been searched and nothing was
identified," she said.
Zimbabwe is home to several game reserves with wildlife that
include the so-called big five - elephants, lions, rhinoceros, buffalo and
leopard.
- AFP
