By A Correspondent- An 81 year old man from Muzenda Village in Zaka, Masvingo Province, was mauled and trampled to death by a marauding hippopotamus in a bushy area while he was herding cattle.

A villager Pedzisayi Mapimbiro said the granddad, Langson Svondero Mangava was herding cattle with his grandson Wycliffe Mazhambe (29), when a hippopotamus appeared from the bush and charged at him.

“It was at around 05:30PM last week on Sunday when a hippopotamus emerged from the bush and charged at the pair. Mazhambe alerted his grandfather and took to his heels leaving him at the mercy of the wild animal,” said Mapimbiro.

He sprinted home and informed his relatives and villagers who armed themselves with axes and knobkerries and went to the scene.

“When they got there they were shocked to find him dead having been ravaged by the hippopotamus. But the hippopotamus had already disappeared,” said Mapimbiro.

Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed: “An 81-year-old man from Muzenda Village under Chief Nhema in Zaka was attacked to death by a hippopotamus. No foul play was suspected and a postmortem was waived by the magistrate.”

ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo also confirmed the incident:  “We are on the ground investigating the matter. It is very unfortunate that we have lost a life in the human-wildlife conflict. The hippo mostly came from Chiredzi River and could have returned to the river,” he said.-statemedia