Oshana farmers complain about Etosha lions killing their cattle

CATTLE owners in the Uuvudhiya Constituency of the Oshana Region are complaining about lions killing their cattle.

One of the farmers, Iipinge Shetunyenga, claimed that 20 cattle had been caught by lions last week. He told The Namibian that he had lost two head of cattle, while another farmer, Mweufunga Keendjele, lost 17 and a man identified only as Mbaimbai had lost a valuable bull.Shetunyenga said lions escaped from the Etosha National Park because of the poor state of the park’s boundary fence.”We farmers are very angry with the Government, especially the Veterinary Department, for not keeping away the wild animals, such as lions, hyenas and so on,” Shetunyenga said.He said the farmers might demand compensation from Government if the fence was not repaired soon.According to Shetunyenga, the problem has been reported to the Uuvudhiya Constituency Councillor, Amutenya Ndaafa.When approached by The Namibian, the Oshana State Veterinarian, Dr Joseph Kapapero, said no such problem had been reported to his office, but he would investigate the complaint.He told The Namibian that he had lost two head of cattle, while another farmer, Mweufunga Keendjele, lost 17 and a man identified only as Mbaimbai had lost a valuable bull.Shetunyenga said lions escaped from the Etosha National Park because of the poor state of the park’s boundary fence.”We farmers are very angry with the Government, especially the Veterinary Department, for not keeping away the wild animals, such as lions, hyenas and so on,” Shetunyenga said.He said the farmers might demand compensation from Government if the fence was not repaired soon.According to Shetunyenga, the problem has been reported to the Uuvudhiya Constituency Councillor, Amutenya Ndaafa.When approached by The Namibian, the Oshana State Veterinarian, Dr Joseph Kapapero, said no such problem had been reported to his office, but he would investigate the complaint.