Lion Guardian Kapande has reported that a carnivore has been killing livestock at his place of work Lenkiloriti. According to the community that lives there, the carnivore tracks resemble those of a lion but are smaller.
Kapande has not seen the tracks himself, but when he told us the community’s description we all agreed that it sounds like the tracks of a leopard. Kapande will update us with more news on this as he investigates further.
I’m curious why all these livestock are being preyed upon, when there is clearly such a thing as an inpenetrable boma. Has Kapande not yet educated the livestock owners on preventive husbandry? Or are some folks simply reluctant? We all know you cannot blame the animal, so who iis to blame? If indeed the owners of the livestock were educated on proper management, a ‘fine’ of some sort would seem appropriate.———
Old Mister Johnson had troubles of his own
He had a yellow cat which wouldn’t leave its home;
He tried and he tried to give the cat away,
He gave it to a man goin’ far, far away.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The man around the corner swore he’d kill the cat on sight,
He loaded up his shotgun with nails and dynamite;
He waited and he waited for the cat to come around,
Ninety seven pieces of the man is all they found.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a little boy with a dollar note,
Told him for to take it up the river in a boat;
They tied a rope around its neck, it must have weighed a pound
Now they drag the river for a little boy that’s drowned.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a man going up in a balloon,
He told him for to take it to the man in the moon;
The balloon came down about ninety miles away,
Where he is now, well I dare not say.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
He gave it to a man going way out West,
Told him for to take it to the one he loved the best;
First the train hit the curve, then it jumped the rail,
Not a soul was left behind to tell the gruesome tale.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The cat it had some company one night out in the yard,
Someone threw a boot-jack, and they threw it mighty hard;
It caught the cat behind the ear, she thought it rather slight,
When along came a brick-bat and knocked the cat out of sight
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
Away across the ocean they did send the cat at last,
Vessel only out a day and making water fast;
People all began to pray, the boat began to toss,
A great big gust of wind came by and every soul was lost.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
On a telegraph wire, sparrows sitting in a bunch,
The cat was feeling hungry, thought she’d like ’em for a lunch;
Climbing softly up the pole, and when she reached the top,
Put her foot upon the electric wire, which tied her in a knot.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The cat was a possessor of a family of its own,
With seven little kittens till there came a cyclone;
Blew the houses all apart and tossed the cat around,
The air was full of kittens, and not a one was ever found.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
The atom bomb fell just the other day,
The H-Bomb fell in the very same way;
Russia went, England went, and then the U.S.A.
The human race was finished without a chance to pray.
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
This is truly a horrible situation, and of course the animals are not to blame. I can understand the frustration of families who lose livestock, when they depend so heavily upon them. It is a sensitive issue to have to tell a family that it is their lack of prevention that resulted in the loss of their livestock.
Maybe a meeting could be held with the families in the area to discuss the problem, point out what can be done to prevent it and maybe some Lion Guardians and others could maybe help to make the bomas more secure.
To strongly discourage killing the animals responsible for these attacks, would it be possible to set up some kind of fund that all of us could contribute to, to pay the families for the lost livestock?
I would hope that would protect the lions or leopards who are responsible.
Hashi-Hanta – I agree that of course a meeting with people in the area is a good idea, but is compensating them financially going to encourge them to properly manage their livestock? Or just to expect money the next time it happens?
Even in the west, we have to properly care for our animals or we too suffer great consequences. It’s simply a matter of education and responsibility, in my view at least.
WD, I hope we are able to get details of what how the livestock is being killed. It may not be a result of someone’s carelessness. However, I do know that when you are living on the land, no matter how careful you are, things do happen. I imagine that since these people have been living on their land for centuries, they do know how to protect their livestock, or they wouldn’t have any at all — only fat lions! I would assume that no one would want their livestock killed, even if they would be compensated for its value, because I think it would take away from their breeding stock. We live on the land, and even if we are going to use an animal for slaughter, we care about it and would not want it slaughtered by another animal. Also, if an animal think that livestock can be their dinner, they might also think the same of a child. It is not good to have wild preditors around a village or farm.