By Risco Lumamezi
A forty-four ( 44) year-old Namibian male , Mr. Mabbena Likando a resident of Steven Village in Chefuzwe area , some 4 kilometres south of Katima Mulilo, escaped death after he was attacked by a male lion on Monday.
He told Caprivi Vision that when he saw the game rangers around the bushes of his village grave yard he approached them and they told him that they were following the foot-prints of the lion.
“Then I decided to leave the area to go back to the village ,while I was turning to walk in the pathway going to the village , I only heard the sound of the lion roaring then I screamed telling the game rangers that shoot the lion.”
He added that when he turned his back walking , the lion jumped and grabbed and braked his right arm with a claw .
“ fortunately, I kept on walking and I did not look back , if would have turned back the lion could have destroyed my back and my face, by God’s grace , Kilo and Lifatila they fired three bullets on the lion and it instantly died”
“ I thought that they will kill me , but they served my life ” he remarked saying he is fine only his broken arm.
He is expected to be transferred soon to Katutura State Hospital in Windhoek for further medical attention.
According to Mr. Kenneth Mushwaulo, an eye witness and villager of Chefuzwe, he said they only heard sounds of gunshots repeatedly been fired at the certain bushes of palm trees , which later on the female lion went astray and left the male lion which was found wounded after the contact of fire bullets.
“The game rangers told us to bring our dogs , and we searched the lions and the male lion was found and it escaped to nearbouring villages thereafter leaving the place where the two lions were confronted with some gunshots fired by the Game Rangers, that’s when the male lion attacked Mabbena” stressed Mushwaulo.
He further asked the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to bring back the carcases of the dead lion as part of their benefit to the community of Chefuzwe.
However, Mr. Romeo Muyunda , Chief Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism responded that the carcases of the lion were taken by his ministry for the sake of not promoting illegal trade of wildlife as lions are treated as special protected species.
“ That means we do not just leave a lion lying around there for people to eat, we have taken the lion basically because they are products that can be sold illegally , we don’t want to promote illegal trade of wildlife products, we have taken the skin, claws and skull” explained Muyunda.
He said the ministry is having a protocol on how they dispose-off carcases , and he emphasised that commonly people would not choose to eat lion.
Mr. Muyunda confirmed that the ministry is still waiting for the report from the environment officials who were on the scene to make a recommendation whether or not the victim is liable for payment under self-reliance scheme.
“ This is not compensation we have a policy on human wildlife conflict that provides for payment in cases people are injured , killed and disabled”
For injuries the ministry assists the victim with a N$10,000 when the is no disability, and where they are a loss of a body part they normally pay N$50,000.
He further appealed to the residents of Zambezi region to be on the look-out , as the lonely female lion was spotted to be in the vicinities of Mafuta, Choto and Chefuzwe as of yesterday. It is alleged that these dangerous species they are from Chobe in Botswana
Loading …