Durban - Fed up with having their livestock devoured by lions that occasionally escape from the nearby Hluhluwe-Imfolozi park owned by Ezemvelo, the community of Okhukho in northern KwaZulu-Natal took matters into their own hands and roasted the culled lions.
Ezemvelo rangers had killed the lions on Friday. But before they could be taken, the angry residents started skinning and roasting them in public.
In the past few weeks, the community had complained to Ezemvelo, alleging the lions were wreaking havoc.
Recently, Msizi Myaka, an activist from the area wrote to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Barbara Creecy to complain about the matter.
Creecy has since promised to intervene.
On Sunday evening. Myaka took to the WhatsApp of the community and shared pictures of the skinned and roasted lions.
“I respect my people. Look what they have done, they are eating the lions that have been feasting on their livestock. They killed the most feared animal and are eating. Some of you will now have issues with their marriages,” he posted in the group.
Myaka confirmed to IOL that the community feasted on the lions and shared pictures of them having what looks like a braai of jubilant community members.
The spokesperson of Ezemvelo, Musa Mntambo, confirmed that the community feasted on the lions before they could be removed after they were shot and killed by rangers while aboard a chopper.
“We destroyed the lions that had escaped from HiP (Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park) on Friday and they went and took the carcasses before we could take them,” Mntambo said.
It’s not the first time communities living near the park have killed and feasted on wild game. Two weeks ago the community of Machibini, on the Mtubatuba side of the gigantic game reserves housing the big five, killed a stray buffalo and publicly feasted on it.
The same community killed and feasted on a stray zebra that escaped from the same game reserve late last year. Ezemvelo has blamed the community for cutting down the fence, thus leading to their game going out and inflicting damage on community livestock and fields.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
Current Affairs