Hyenas Cause Havoc In Mberengwa
Villagers in Ward 37 in Mberengwa District, Midlands Province, have been warned against walking at dawn and dusk because of marauding hyenas that have invaded their community.
A villager, Luckson Pasipanodya, said the hyenas haven’t attacked people yet but they have already killed donkeys, goats, sheep, and calves.
The most affected areas are villages, Nungirai, Chivasa, Pararai and around Gwai Primary School, Makwava Primary, Chapungu Secondary and Mundi-Mataga Dam area under Chief Chingoma. Said Pasipanodya:
These hyenas are surely causing a headache to us as villagers. Goats, sheep and donkeys are at the mercy of these animals. We have never had them in such a big number.
This time there are many and are sure to leave us poorer and hungry as donkeys form part of our draught power.
They haven’t attacked people but fears are that they may pounce on children and those that may be travelling to catch buses at dawn.
Villagers said they do not know where the wild animals came from but suspect that they migrated from farms in the Sovelele area in Mwenezi and Makhado into Mberengwa.
MP for Mberengwa South Tasara Hungwe said they engaged the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) for help in dealing with the hyena menace and the teams were in the area. He said:
The hyenas have been a problem for some time but now the issue has escalated as people are losing livestock almost on a daily basis and people are even scared for their lives at this point.
We have engaged the Zimparks team and we hope they can do something to scare them away because people’s livestock is at risk.
Nungirai village head Wilbert Pasipanodya said the hyena menace will only get worse as the environment seems to be good for their breeding on a massive scale. | The Sunday News
