Lion attack kills Zimbabwean man bathing at safari camp

AFP November 4, 2010 Comments (17)

HARARE – A lion mauled and killed a Zimbabwean man as he was taking a bath at a camping site in the northern Makuti district, the country’s wildlife authority said on Thursday.

“Peter John Evershed was on holiday with his wife and two local friends when he was attacked by a lion as he took a shower under a tree about 38 metres (42 yards) from the camp site,” Caroline Washaya-Moyo, a spokeswoman for the parks and wildlife authority, told AFP.

Evershed, 59, was based in Harare.

“This is a sad and unfortunate incident,” Washaya-Moyo said. “We urge our clients to observe the rules of the parks as these animals are wild.”

The state-owned Herald newspaper said Evershed was in the company of his wife and other local tourists and went to take a bath under a tree when a pride of lions surrounded him.

“He screamed for help from other tourists who quickly drove to the scene flashing their lights in a bid to scare away the marauding lions,” provincial police spokesman Clemence Mabgweazara told the newspaper.

The lions dispersed when a safari operator fired gunshots into the air, the police spokesman said, but Evershed had already sustained a deep gash to the throat.

In a separate incident, an 80-year-old man died after being attacked by a hyena on his way to church in eastern Zimbabwe, state news agency New Ziana reported on Thursday.

Quoting police spokesman Jephry Mudzemba, the news agency said Misheck Mudechiwe was in the company of his wife when a hyena confronted them on their way to a church service in a neighbouring village.

“The hyena severed his left arm and mauled part of his face,” Mudzemba said.

Wildlife, especially lions and elephants, roam freely in remote parts of Zimbabwe, often preying on livestock and destroying crops.
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