Staff Reporter
KWEKWE — A report claiming that eight lions were roaming in Muwandi, about 15 kilometres from the Kwekwe city centre, has not been verified. Wildlife authorities say that spoor found in the area points to only one or two animals.
The reports triggered a multi-agency response on Monday, with teams from the police, army, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), and Zibagwe Rural District Council deployed to investigate.
Kwekwe District Civil Protection Unit (CPU) chairperson Fortune Mupungu confirmed the reports and said that authorities are working to locate and safely remove any potentially dangerous animals from the area.
“We received a report that eight lions are on the loose in the Muwandi area. We sent our team, which includes the police, army, Zimparks, and ZRDC,” he said.
“The presence of a pride of lions could not be verified. The team we sent tried to track them but failed to locate any lions. They may have seen some hyenas or something else.”
However, a Zimparks official who took part in the field assessment said that the spoor observed was too small to belong to an adult lion.
“From our assessment, we have seen that there is only one or two animals in the area, according to the spoor. This rules out the initial report that there are eight lions in the area,” the official said.
The spoor could have been left by a hyena or a large dog, although authorities have not completely ruled out the possibility of a young lion being present.
Three adult male residents reported seeing what they believed was a lion on Sunday night and Monday morning, stating that they are familiar with lions due to their rural and work backgrounds.
Zimparks and Zibagwe RDC rangers will remain on the ground for two days to continue tracking the spoor, monitoring the area, and engaging with residents about any fresh sightings.
Residents have been urged to remain vigilant, avoid approaching or chasing suspected wild animals, and immediately alert the police or Zimparks if they spot any.
No injuries or livestock losses had been reported at the time of going to press.
The investigation continues as authorities seek to establish whether a lion is actually present in the area and, if so, to determine its location and safely relocate it.
