Zimbabwe Lion Attacks Local Farmer, Joel Ngwenya

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- A Zimbabwean state-run newspaper reports a farmer is recovering after surviving a lion attack in the remote northwest of the country.

The Chronicle reported Saturday that a lioness pounced on farmer Joel Ngwenya near the Hwange nature preserve, goring his arms and upper body and leaving him unconscious. Lions had been preying on livestock in the district.

"The lioness looked straight into my eyes, staring and roaring," Ngwenya told the paper from a hospital.

It pinned him down with its claws and continued staring at him "face to face," he said. The lioness briefly moved away toward a lion cub then turned back on him.

He regained consciousness, realizing "it just left me lying down and went away," the paper further quoted him as saying.

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• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: A Sumantran tiger cub seen on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> A female Bengal tiger in her cage at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 29, 2011. AFP PHOTO/VANDERLEI ALMEIDA

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: A Sumatran tiger cub is seen on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger (Panthera tigris) is seen at the zoo in Cali, Colombia, on April 21, 2012. Colombia has the second largest biodiversity in the world. AFP PHOTO/Luis ROBAYO

• <em>From Getty:</em> Newborn Siberian tigers Virgil, Thrax and Manu are presented at the Budapest Zoo and Botanic Garden in the Hungarian capital on July 4, 2011. The eight-week-old tigers were presented to the press for the first time with their health checkup and ID chips implanted by the chief doctor of the zoo. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK

• <em>From Getty:</em> Tigers play in water at a tiger buddhist temple in Karnchanaburi province, western Thailand on April 24, 2012. Thailand is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations and is a hub of international smuggling. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago. AFP PHOTO/PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL

• <em>From Getty:</em> Tigers play in water at a tiger buddhist temple in Karnchanaburi province, western Thailand on April 24, 2012. Thailand is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations and is a hub of international smuggling. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago. AFP PHOTO/PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL

• <em>From Getty:</em> Two white tigers cub are pictured on December 5, 2011 at the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger cub is pictured on December 5, 2011 at the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger is pictured in its compound on June 30, 2011, at the Amneville's zoo, eastern France. AFP PHOTO / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN

• <em>From Getty:</em> Tigers play in water at a tiger buddhist temple in Karnchanaburi province, western Thailand on April 24, 2012. Thailand is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations and is a hub of international smuggling. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago. AFP PHOTO/PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL

• <em>From Getty:</em> A tiger (Panthera tigris) is seen in a lake in the zoo of Cali, Colombia, on April 21, 2012. Colombia has the second largest biodiversity in the world. AFP PHOTO/Luis ROBAYO

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger plays with a plant at the zoo on December 21, 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AFP PHOTO / Yasuyoshi Chiba

• <em>From Getty:</em> A Siberian tiger sniffs a paper-made snowman given by the staff as a Christmas present on December 21, 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AFP PHOTO / Yasuyoshi Chiba

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 21: A Sumatran Tiger cub investigates a wrapped Christmas present at Taronga Zoo on December 21, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 21: A Sumatran Tiger tears apart a wrapped Christmas present at Taronga Zoo on December 21, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 21: Sumatran Tiger cubs tear apart a wrapped Christmas present at Taronga Zoo on December 21, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 21: A Sumatran Tiger tears apart a wrapped Christmas present at Taronga Zoo on December 21, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> Two white tigers cub are pictured on December 5, 2011 at the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger, Lisa, is pictured on December 5, 2011 in the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger, Lisa, runs on December 5, 2011 in the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger, Lisa, drinks water on December 5, 2011 in the zoological park of Cerza in Hermival-les-Vaux, northern France. The three-year-old Lisa gave birth on October 8, 2011 to two white tigers belonging to a relatively rare species. AFP PHOTO KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah plays with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: A Sumatran tiger cub looks through the glass of the tiger display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 25: Sumatran tiger Jumilah is seen with one of her cubs on display at Taronga Zoo on October 25, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• <em>From Getty:</em> Two months old Sumatran tiger cubs play in their exclosure on September 2, 2011 in Prague Zoo in the capital city. AFP PHOTO/ MICHAL CIZEK

• <em>From Getty:</em> A Malayan tiger, a subspecies of tiger found in the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula, rests in his enclosure at the Zoo of Prague on July 24, 2011. AFP PHOTO / MICHAL CIZEK

• <em>From Getty:</em> A white tiger is pictured in its compound on June 30, 2011, at the Amneville's zoo, eastern France. AFP PHOTO / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN

• <em>From Getty:</em> A female Bengal tiger in her cage at the zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 29, 2011. AFP PHOTO/VANDERLEI ALMEIDA

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Comments

[GirlUsingBrain]

02:06 PM on 07/16/2012

If she had wanted to kill him, he would be dead. She was defending her cub. I hope she goes back to the reserve.

The Massai have herded their livestock and lived with lions and other dangeous animals for hundreds of years. Perhaps they should give lessons on how to do this successfully.

[gmb007]

12:26 PM on 07/16/2012

"gore"?

Big cats don't "GORE"! Who wrote this piece? Hello? LOL

[Caitlin Davis]

07:37 PM on 07/16/2012

That was my first thought too..lol

[LillyyF]

08:26 PM on 07/15/2012

Stop encroaching on the lion's habitat, then.

[niko73]

10:55 PM on 07/15/2012

And where do you live? I'm sure there were once wolves, black bears and/or mountain lions there. Before your ancestors killed them all and paved over the land. And now you sit in your apartment in what was once their habitat and lecture a man trying to eek out one meal a day for his family, consuming 50 times fewer resources that you do. That's a bit pretentious of you, don't you think?

[RationalCaliGirl]

12:43 PM on 07/16/2012

Uhh, the habitat is in the farmers backyard. Get a clue.

[LillyyF]

08:41 AM on 07/17/2012

If a rattlesnake was in my backyard and bit me I would not be shocked and it would not end up being a news story. That's my point. If you live where lions live, don't be surprised if you get attacked by one in your yard.

[Albastru]

05:26 PM on 07/15/2012

Habitat destruction is the main reason why wildlife is moving closer and closer to people. And of course, we as humans will see the wildlife as being a threat and then we kill them. Or, if we are in a "civilized" country will expect the government to put more laws in place to protect us and our children from this threat.
Check out this story which says it best without any words: "The stork is a bird of war" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-0vnRmej0Q

[LillyyF]

08:26 PM on 07/15/2012

gladly your first fan!

[Albastru]

10:21 AM on 07/16/2012

Hi Lillyy,
Thank you, I truly appreciate it! The truth is I wasn't expecting to make any fans, if there would have been a "enemy" button I think I would have probably reached a record of some sorts.
Anyway if you watched the YouTube video and still agree, check out this website http://www.vhemt.org/
There is a lot of information that I hope you will agree with. If not all, at least some of it.
Regards

[MikaMorgasm]

05:25 PM on 07/15/2012

if it didnt kill him that wasnt a real lion attack. there are millions of humans and wildebeasts and thousands of lions, if a lion eats a person its not that big of a tragedy

[RationalCaliGirl]

12:46 PM on 07/16/2012

After you are mauled by a lion, tell us then that it wasn't an attack.

[Mike Armstrong]

03:14 PM on 07/15/2012

"Gore" would refer to a horned animal inflicting an injury. Lions do not have horns, generally.

[MikaMorgasm]

05:27 PM on 07/15/2012

i think they mean it was "gory" lol

[ChesapeakePirate]

05:51 PM on 07/15/2012

I was thinkin' the same thing. Unless she was a "horney" lioness...

[janalyce]

01:20 PM on 07/15/2012

Uh, lions can't "gore" people.

To "gore" means to thrust a horn, tusk or antler into someone.

The lioness bit him. Huffpo, please tell your headline writers to check such things,

[Pinkasaurus]

03:19 PM on 07/15/2012

"Mauled" would have been a more appropriate term.

[Alwayspissedoffatsomeone]

12:15 PM on 07/15/2012

And this should interest the world in what way? Let's see... A lioness goes after a human that, by all means appears to have come too close to its cubs, and gets attacked? Really? And it happened in Zimbabwe? Why is this remotely a story?

[George Wade]

11:14 AM on 07/15/2012

Lions maul prey with teeth and claws; bulls gore enemies with their horns.

WHAT is so great about being illiterate about the natural world ?

[FranklinCat]

04:05 PM on 07/15/2012

. . . or so sloppily unconcerned with precision in the use of language?

[Jose Hill]

07:29 AM on 07/15/2012

Female lions with cubs are like female bears with cubs. They are very dangerous. Any perceived threat to the cub will be annialated.

[Hmmmmmmm7]

09:32 PM on 07/15/2012

I once heard a "Famous Last Lines" entry that went: "Oh what a cute baby bear! I wonder where the mother bear is?"

[flounder1]

06:54 AM on 07/15/2012

Why do humans think they could peacefully co-exist with lions in their back yard? Is this piece supposed to shock? We will see more stories like this until people wise up.

[Sral Rolyat]

08:17 AM on 07/15/2012

She was defending her cub. With sufficient force to incapacitate the threat.

That is the exact amount of force a human would have been entitled to against another human.

And make no mistake; she definately percieved the human as a deadly threat to her and her cub. With good reason.

[karen lyons kalmenson]

06:13 AM on 07/15/2012

a warning, to stay away from her precious little one. and she showed mercy, a concept many humans need to hone

[flounder1]

06:55 AM on 07/15/2012

No woman shows mercy...It's just that she just finished a meal and had no room for dessert.

[karen lyons kalmenson]

07:37 AM on 07/15/2012

man lucky he was not chow mane;-D

[janalyce]

01:21 PM on 07/15/2012

Another self-declared expert on women....sigh.

[Vanderbil Covington]

05:49 AM on 07/15/2012

The tiger is one of natures most perfect creations. A mature African male can weight nearly 700 pounds and leap 30 feet in a single bound. As a predator, none can match its stealth, sheer strength and cunning. I have seen a tigress haul an 1,100 pound wilderbeest (twice her weight) out of the water and up a shear embankment, to feed herself and cubs. She did this using only powerful jaws. It is terrible such a magnificent animal, along with many others, are losing their natural habitats to human encroachment and black market poachers

[GSR]

07:05 AM on 07/15/2012

No tigers in Africa.

[rlmyrtlb]

03:07 PM on 07/15/2012

John Varty and David Soloman raised a couple of tiger cubs there........ Ron and Julie were their names. Living With Tigers dvd is quite an education. Who knows? They may still be there in Africa.

Varty, one of our favorites in his fight to preserve wildness, filmed in 2003?? and haven't heard of Ron and Julie since. Unlike the sociable lion they are solitary big cats. And unlike the solitary leopard they do not haul most of their kill into trees. Will have to google.

As for Ngwenya, he is one lucky farmer, and happy for him! My god! what an experience!

[Vanderbil Covington]

09:32 PM on 07/15/2012

Where do you think Zimbabwe is, genius

[Vanderbil Covington]

05:16 AM on 07/15/2012

The man was lucky the lioness only wanted to give him a warning rather than eating him

[flounder1]

06:56 AM on 07/15/2012

That's exactly right. The animal rationalized this was a "warning." opportunity. You are an imbecile.

[Sral Rolyat]

08:19 AM on 07/15/2012

That is exactly what the lion did.

It is also precisely what a family dog would have done.

THe embicil is the one who thinks that other animals have no cognitive capacity whatsoever.

Some clearly have more than many humans.

[Howard53545]

05:10 AM on 07/15/2012

You is lucky