Zimpapers Logo

Herald Reporters
A 14-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile in Mazvikadei on Saturday and his remains were retrieved yesterday afternoon.

The crocodile has since been put down by professional hunters and other people that were on the ground.  The boy is set to be buried today.

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo confirmed the incident.

“Yes, that is what happened in Mazvikadei,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that a 14-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile whilst he was trying to cross a river. It happened yesterday (Saturday) and then from Saturday up until today (yesterday), we have been searching for the remains of the young boy. We fortunately managed to retrieve the body mid-day. We were working with the sub-aqua unit and also our officers down there.

“It’s unfortunate and a sad development. We are deeply saddened as an authority.”

Mr Farawo said they deployed officers in the area, urging people to stay away from water bodies. He said the biggest problem was that there was overpopulation of animals — especially elephants and crocodiles, resulting in them invading communities.