Lion is on the loose in Omaheke

A lion on the loose in Eiseb Block in the Otjombinde constituency in the Omaheke Region has apparently eaten two donkeys and severely bitten and   killed a cow over the past four days.

Zambia Kavari, a farmer in Otjikoto area of Eiseb, said the lion’s roar could be heard on Tuesday and said it was definitely the sound of the marauding beast.

According to him a group of men on horses and vehicles, together with a team from Nature Conservation in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism at Gobabis, have teamed up to track down the lion.

Kavari said lions from Botswana have been terrorizing the area over the past years, although they would sometimes stay away for years before coming back to kill domesticated animals.

He said people in the area have been advised to move in groups to avoid running into the beast’s claws.

Otjombinde constituency councillor Karii Marenga confirmed reports about the presence of the lion, but said that he would only comment further once he has consulted with the team from the Ministry of                    Environment and Tourism.

An environment and tourism staffer at Gobabis, who declined to give her name, confirmed a team from the ministry traveled to the Eiseb Block yesterday morning after they received news about the lion.

Eiseb Block is a huge tract of open communal area in Otjombinde constituency where wild animals such as lions and hyenas are said to be roaming freely.