WINDAS Sianene Muleya survived a crocodile attack after jumping into a river while fleeing a charging herd of elephants.
Almost five months after his ordeal, he is still seeking financial assistance to undergo further treatment and look after his young family.
The 42-year-old, who was the breadwinner, had both his legs and right arm amputated at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo following the crocodile attack that took place in Mlibizi River in September last year.
He is one of the 70 people who were seriously injured by wildlife in 2022 in rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict, which also claimed 66 lives.
Animals, especially elephants, continue to encroach on human settlements in search of food and water, which are increasingly becoming scarce because of climate change.
Experts say the country can support up to 55 000 elephants, but the population has more than doubled to nearly 100 000.
“It was in September last year when my neighbours and I were herding cattle on the river bank, where we had built a big pen and took turns to herd the cattle during the day and guard them at night,” Mr Muleya told The Sunday Mail.
“In our second week, when I was herding the cattle along with some boys, we agreed that they drive the herd for grazing while I went fishing for our relish.”
He then proceeded to a small island on Mlibizi River near its confluence with Zambezi River.
Since the water was shallow around the island, he assumed it was safe.
There was only one way to reach the spot where he settled to fish.
After a short while, he decided to shift his position after failing to catch any fish.
While he looked for a new spot, he noticed a herd of five elephants charging from the only direction that he could leave the island.
To avoid being trampled by the elephants, he decided to jump into the water and allow the elephant herd to pass.
“My only option was to avoid the elephants and, unfortunately, that meant I had to go into the water,” he said.
“The water was waist-deep and, as I walked slowly, a crocodile suddenly pounced on me and sunk its teeth into my left hand and ripped it with a second bite.
“I started screaming for help and then it attacked again.”
This time, the reptile went for his left leg.
“The crocodile tried to finish me off by grabbing me by the waist, but it missed and gnashed into my trousers.”
Other fishermen heard his calls for help and rushed to the scene.
They then started throwing stones and logs to scare away the reptile.
Upon noticing this, Mr Muleya gathered the last ounce of strength in his body and started poking the animal in its mouth using his right hand until it eventually let go.
He was then pulled out of the water, before Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers who were patrolling the river came with a boat and ferried him to Mlibizi Centre, where an ambulance was called to take him to Binga District Hospital.
He was later taken to Mpilo Central Hospital, where he underwent an operation to sever the lower parts of his legs from the thighs.
He now struggles to sit upright after losing balance as a result of the procedure.
He also spends all his time lying on his back.
But he mostly agonises about the difficulties of fending for his two minor children, who are doing Grade Three and Four.
His wife died in 2019.
He had been staying with his two children until the tragic incident last year.
He has since moved to live with his ageing mother.
“I am now bedridden and cannot do anything on my own.
“My 70-year-old mother now literally does everything for my children, especially cooking and fetching water.
“We have community taps nearby but they are usually dry and we are forced to fetch water from the river, which is dangerous because there are crocodiles.
“So, each time my children go to the river to fetch water, memories of how I was mauled by the crocodile come rushing back,” he lamented.
Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said cases of human-wildlife conflict were worrying.
“In 2022, we lost about 66 lives to human-wildlife conflict compared to 68 the previous year,” said Mr Farawo.
“More than 70 were injured seriously and some were left with permanent disabilities.
“We received about 3 000 distress calls from communities where animals would have invaded human settlements and responded to more than 80 percent of those.
“We are encouraging communities that if they see animals, they should give them space, allow them to move freely and try not to provoke them.
“We have also noticed that most of these incidents happen during the night, so we are encouraging communities to minimise movements at night.”
He said most of the cases involve either elephants or crocodiles attacking humans.
Zimbabwe was banned from trading in ivory in 1989 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade.
The ban was aimed at increasing the population of “endangered” species, particularly the African elephant, by preventing poaching.
Zimbabwe’s proposal to allow it to sell its stockpile of ivory worth US$600 million was rejected at CITES 19th Conference of Parties held in Panama last year.
Addressing a post-Cabinet briefing following the CITES meeting, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said: “The proposal had 15 members in favour, 83 against and 17 abstained.
“Zimbabwe, in conjunction with Botswana, Namibia, Cambodia and Eswatini submitted a proposal to include consideration of livelihoods and food security, which was also rejected.”
In September last year, for the first time in 60 years, Zimbabwe started to relocate more than 2 500 wild animals, including 400 elephants, from a southern reserve to one in the country’s north to save them from drought. – Sunday Mail
