The old man was dragged out of bed by a group of hyenas and attacked to death while sleeping in the tent.
Authorities said the victim was an 87-year-old Tendai Maseka man who was dragged about 305 meters from a wooden tent. The accident occurred on the evening of November 16 in the remote region of Chirumanzu, central Zimbabwe. When the villagers found Maseka, his body was not intact. Forest officials are looking for hyenas to destroy them, according to Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Wildlife and Parks Management Authority.
“The old man was attacked by hyenas while he was alone. The accident happened while the man was sleeping in the tent. The trail marks and hyena footprints were still clearly visible. “said Farawo. know. Authorities said the hyenas themselves were responsible for a series of recent attacks on livestock and goats in the area.
Maseka was buried on November 19. The local government advises residents to be cautious, to avoid moving around at night, and to close all doors and windows until the hyenas are captured. “We are looking for a way to track the hyenas. If we have enough resources, we will move them from the neighborhood to the desert,” Farawo said.
Animal attacks are not uncommon in summer. Such incidents usually occur at this time of year because during the dry months food and water become scarce, forcing animals to travel long distances and enter residential areas for food. Farawo believes that at least six hyenas caused Maseka’s death. This is the 60th death this year due to conflict with wildlife. Half of them were linked to elephants, Farawo said, and three cases were caused by lions.
Hyenas are considered one of the most greedy land predators, capable of killing large animals such as zebras, wildebeest and wild buffaloes. However, hyenas rarely go hunting alone, but mainly follow other predators like lions, leopards … and steal their food. Because hyenas are not perfect for hunting, they are very difficult to control or kill their prey, forcing them to rely on other species to supplement their food. Hyenas also know how to track and use corpses like vultures to locate successful hunts.
