LILLIAN CHIKANDI writes
A PRIDE of stray lions is reportedly terrorising villagers of Chiawa chiefdom in Kafue district.
Headman Gunduza Gunduza who confirmed the presence of the cats expressed concern as people were now living in fear.
He said people were worried a good number of their livestock was being killed and eaten by the beasts, adding that the lions might soon begin to kill human beings.
“The officers from the department of national parks and wildlife have been camping in the area trying to scare them away. But it’s like they have failed to kill the lions and we are not free’, he said.
Headman Gunduza appealed to the department to assist them with fireworks so that they could use them to scare away the lions which normally attacked at night.
In another development a farmers’ representative of Kapululira village in Chirundu Mr Dickson Majere has bemoaned the presence of elephants, hippos and lions terrorising the farmers by grazing on their cash crops and chasing the people respectively.
“This year we do not know if we’re going to have any crops for sale following the poor rainfall and also the animal conflicts. It is very sad for us. We do not know what to do now. You know we depend on these crops for our life and sending the children to school, we really need serious help,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior citizen Simunji Simunji said the human and wildlife conflict was not a one man’s show but required concerted efforts from government through the ministry of tourism.
He has called on the department of wildlife to write to the tourism Minister to order the lions terrorising the villagers to be killed instead of waiting to act after a human life was lost..
