Crocodile captured, killed in a Harare suburb

Sharon Munjenjema

A crocodile that caused panic in Harare’s Budiriro suburb over months was finally captured and killed on Wednesday.

Residents recalled “almost freezing” after coming face to face with the crocodile near a swamp a few metres away from their homes. The reptile would roam the area sporadically, retreating to its home in the swamps after “doing the rounds”.

The suburb is close to wetlands and is notorious for flooding, crocodiles and snakes during the rain season. Parks and Wildlife Management Authority of Zimbabwe rangers finally swooped and put it down.

Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo spoke to ZTN News.

“We can confirm that there was a problem animal, a crocodile, in Budiriro and we have managed to eliminate it. But we are encouraging residents to stay away from water bodies, especially during the rain season.

“Every water body must be treated with suspicion and approached with caution because it may be infested with crocodiles so that we minimise injuries and loss of lives.”

In 2018, a woman was attacked and killed by a crocodile in the same area. The crocodiles are said to come from a local stream that feeds into larger water bodies like Lake Chivero.

A resident. Susan Chaputika, said, “This is a threat to our lives. We are living in danger. We are appealing to Government to save us, we have engaged council (Harare City Council) a number of times but they have not come to our rescue yet.”