Police: Lions eat 20 villagers in Ethiopia
Attacks force people to flee their homes, officials say

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Posted: 1341 GMT (2141 HKT)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- A pride of lions has killed and devoured 20 villagers, wounded 10 others and eaten at least 70 cattle in southern Ethiopia in the past week, police said Tuesday.

The attacks have forced at least 1,000 people to flee their homes in Hadia Zone, in the Southern Nation and Nationalities People State, 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, according to a police statement.

"The lions are coming from the bush seeking food," in groups of two to four animals, according to the statement.

Lions attack and eat humans in areas where their wild prey has been reduced by over-hunting, deforestation and population growth. Older lions also become man-eaters because humans are a far easier prey than wildlife.

"The 20 people were eaten by the lions while they engaged in their daily activities in their homes and nearby places," according to the police.

"Killing these lions would be the only way to rescue the residents in the area and prevent other casualties," the police statement added.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/a...s.ap/index.html

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"When I die, I want to be buried under the dancefloor"- Frankie Madgenta

wow

Are lions not a protected species though? I didn't think they were allowed to shoot them

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Originally posted by Dancing*Queen wow Are lions not a protected species though? I didn't think they were allowed to shoot them

not a protected species.

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Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

Mmmmm tasty people!

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quote:

Originally posted by Dancing*Queen wow Are lions not a protected species though? I didn't think they were allowed to shoot them

if a lion is chasing you, you're going to shoot that son-of-a-bitch, not question it being an endangered species.

^^^^ ah come on, if we were endangered the lions would have enough courtesy not to eat us.

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quote:

Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

I guess I just don't see killing the animals as a means to solve the problem....what is going to stop the next bunch of lions from coming??

If they hadn't killed off the lions means of food they wouldn't be having this issue.....also, when you live in an area where there are wild meat eating creatures around, you should maybe take more precautions....maybe erect a wall or a fence or something to protect them...

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"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything"

i heard a similar story regarding a pack of simians (wild apes) who actually attacked a village in central Africa in retaliation for poaching upon their brood a couple of years ago. they were actually smart enough to track down some of the poachers in the village, dragged them out and ripped out their hearts! crazy !! these animals aren't stupid !

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quote:

Originally posted by tatgirl "The lions are coming from the bush seeking food," in groups of two to four animals, according to the statement. Lions attack and eat humans in areas where their wild prey has been reduced by over-hunting, deforestation and population growth.

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Originally posted by dEsidEL i heard a similar story regarding a pack of simians (wild apes) who actually attacked a village in central Africa in retaliation for poaching upon their brood a couple of years ago. they were actually smart enough to track down some of the poachers in the village, dragged them out and ripped out their hearts! crazy !! these animals aren't stupid !

The animals are fighting back. Good for them!

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Originally posted by Dancing*Queen I guess I just don't see killing the animals as a means to solve the problem....what is going to stop the next bunch of lions from coming??

Actually, tigers were one of the most virial man eating animals in the worlds history.... until the 1900s. See, during the later half of the 1800s the British hunted tigers in droves both for sport and for animal control (granted this got a little carried away thus why tigers are now endangered). Eventually, the tigers learned to fear humans rather then hunt them. That is why there have been fewer tiger attacks against humans in the past century then in 1890 alone. Interestingly, there is one area of India where tigers still hunt and eat humans.... it is a very remote area and the only region in India where hunting of tigers did not take place.

My point is that hunting them will solve the problem. Is it the only solution.... of course not but it will work. More importantly, it is the only solution that will have immediate impact. Once the immediate threat is negated then you can look at preventing future situations. Personally I would recommend restocking the lion's natural game rather then fencing them in, however, that is a rather expensive undertaking.

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quote:

Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

^^^ ya and look at the state of the tiger now...it is on the verge of extinction

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"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything"

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Originally posted by Dancing*Queen ^^^ ya and look at the state of the tiger now...it is on the verge of extinction

I made mention of that, however, it must be recognized that the Tiger was still quite promonent when the large culls were stopped in the early 1900s. The present state of the Tiger has more to do with poaching and population growth of the second half of the 1900s then it does the hunts of the 1800s.

Additionally, this does not negate my point that hunting does offer effective protection for people against man eating cats.

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quote:

Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down