WINDHOEK – A marauding lion that has caused panic among residents of Eiseb Block in the Otjombinde Constituency of Omaheke Region has evaded capture for the past two weeks. The domestic animals it has preyed on now numbers four donkeys and two cattle.
Mbemuna Kavari, a farmer in the area told New Era yesterday the beast devoured a donkey, cow and a calf near Otjikoto in the past three days.
“We have been looking for the lion together with people from nature conservation but to no avail,” he said, adding that the lion was suspected of roaming between Otjiuapehuri, Okatemba and Otjikoto.
He said the bush is thick and the ten men sent out on horses could not trace the elusive beast.
According to Kavari, staff from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism have only been trying to track down the lion using the main roads, which makes it difficult to trace as the animal is believed to be hiding deep in the forest.
He said that the beast has caused fear among residents of the area, with some even afraid to go out of their homes.
A staffer at the environment and tourism ministry at Gobabis confirmed they identified the spoor as being without an iota of doubt that of a lion.
“It (the lion) is still there. We spent a whole day looking for it and drove back,” he said, adding that together with his staff, conservation guards and residents of the area, they went to verify with certainty that it was in fact a lion that was causing havoc and paranoid among inhabitants.
He said they could not do anything until they get directives from head office in Windhoek that the beast was identified as a problem animal.
Otjombinde Regional Councillor Karii Marenga said that they contacted the office of the Omaheke governor, the local traditional authorities, police and the army to request for reinforcements.
In an unconfirmed report on the Otjiherero radio, another lion is apparently roaming near Ovituua reserve in the Epukiro area. Marenga urged those who have information about the lion to contact the Otjiherero radio or come forward with information about its movements.
Zambia Kavari, another farmer in the area said that lions from Botswana have been terrorizing the area over the past years, although they would sometimes stay away for a couple of years before coming back to kill domestic animals.
He said that people in the area have been advised to take precautions and move in groups to avoid falling prey to the beast.
Eiseb Block is an enormous open communal farming area in the Otjombinde Constituency where wild animals such as lions and hyenas are said to roam.
By Magreth Nunuhe