Bulawayo Residents Live in Fear of Stray Lion

WASHINGTON —  Bulawayo residents say they are living in fear of a stray lion, which was spotted in the city’s low density suburbs a week ago, and keeps eluding officials from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZIMPARKS).

ZIMPARKS spokesperson Caroline Washaya Moyo told local media that nine rangers and a professional hunter are pursuing the lion and they have already spotted its spoor, which shows that it is an adult lion.

It is not clear where the lion escaped from, as officials from the Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in the outskirts of Bulawayo say no animal are missing.

Ward Four councilor Silas Chigora said the local authority’s rangers are also hunting the lion, which was first spotted by a resident in the city’s Waterford suburb.

A stray adult lion recently killed a 70-year-old boy in Dete, and residents blamed researchers for failing to monitor the big cat, which had a collar around its neck.