AS the mystery surrounding the stray lion continues to deepen, a worker at a property that keeps horses in the eastern suburbs yesterday revealed the big cat has been spotted in Burnside.
NDUDUZO TSHUMA STAFF REPORTER
Mkhululi Mnkandla, told Southern Eye that he had seen a lion’s spoor along Burnside Road on Saturday night.
“I was coming from the city centre when I found some residents, some of them armed, saying a lion had been spotted in the area. We tracked the spoor and it appeared the lion was walking along the road before the prints disappeared. It could not be established whether it had crossed the tarred road,” said Mnkandla.
“I saw the spoor and one of the residents suggested that the lion could be very close and we needed to move to safety. Another resident then drove to Hillside Police Station to alert the police,” Mnkandla said.
Meanwhile, Criterion Farm assistant manager Sithembeni Sibiya said they had not seen the lion or any spoor on their property as reported on Sunday.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) had said spoor of the adult lion was seen at the farm on Sunday.
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“We heard that it was spotted in Burnside, but we did not see it. We did not even hear it roar,” said Sibiya.
He said all cattle kept at the farm were accounted for when they did a count yesterday morning after reading about the cat’s possible sighting on the property.
“We do not know what to do now because people are scared. But there have also been many stories. Some say it was spotted along Burnside Road while others said it was heard roaring in Hillside so the whole story is now confusing,” Sibiya said.
Nine families live on the farm.
Southern Eye columnist Isaac Mpofu said the lion was spotted at his Worringham plot close to Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage last week.
“It came to my property and the boys heard it roar next to the dam. It crossed to a neighbouring farm and returned again. It was later spotted in the Danger area in Esigodini,” Mpofu said.
He said he was living in fear as the lion could be heard roaring from less than a kilometre from his house.
Zimparks spokesperson Caroline Washaya Moyo referred Southern Eye to the authority’s southern regional manager Arthur Musakwa.
“Get in touch with our regional manager as we have asked you journalists to be part of that hunting team,” Washaya Moyo said.
