THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) claims two lions lost their lives due to suspected tuberculosis (TB) infection in the Hwange National Park.
Head of Zimparks corporate communications Tinashe Farawo posted on Twitter Thursday saying the lions, aged 12 and 15, perished recently.
According to Farawo, government veterinary doctors have since been dispatched to the national park to investigate the death of the animals.
“It is unfortunate that at least two lions succumbed to suspected TB in Hwange. The lions were between 12 and 15 years old. Our vet doctors are on the ground investigating,” Farawo said.
Recently, another lion called Mopane was allegedly shot by a bow hunter on 5 August 2021 on a hunting concession bordering the unfenced Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
The lion was 12 years old and a breeding pride male, a tweet by LionExpose revealed the shooting incident.
In July 2015, Walter Palmer, a dentist, and hunter from the United States (US) killed Cecil the lion outside Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. The lion’s death sparked outrage.
Zimbabwe is among the eight African countries that still allow the consistent export of lion parts, including Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania, which holds nearly half the continent’s wild lions.