CHIREDZI – Nothing is more dangerous than a wounded buffalo.

This proved true on Saturday when a wounded buffalo charged at and killed a fish poacher and minutes later gored a game scout with the Mteri Dam Wildlife area to death.

Masvingo Assistant Police spokesperson Lorraine Ndhlovu has confirmed the incident which happened at Mteri Dam Wildlife in Hippo Valley, Chiredzi to The Mirror.

Ndhlovu said at around 5 am, four game scouts at Mteri went tracking a loose Buffalo. As they did so they came come across fish poachers coming from Mteri Dam and they ran away. While they did so, one of them, Mashava Ian Thuli (33) was attacked by the Buffalo and he screamed.

The scouts rushed towards the scene and found him lying helplessly, bleeding heavily. He was taken to Chiredzi District Hospital where he died on admission.

Meanwhile the scouts continued to look for the buffalo and at 1pm, they came across the Buffalo and Patson Tekedesa fired at it and missed. The buffalo charged at Stephen Njanji (62) who was trying to climb up a tree and it attacked him and gored him on the stomach and he died on the spot.

Njanji’s body was taken to Chiredzi General Hospital. Meanwhile it is understood that the buffalo is still at large.

Tongaat Hulett has warned its employees and communities to be on the alert for the rogue buffalo.

“Employees and the community are hereby warned of the presence of a rogue buffalo in the Mteri Dam Wildlife area. Although the buffalo is contained in the Wildlife area it cannot be guaranteed that it will remain within the bounds of the game park.

“Members of the public are advised of the need to completely avoid Mteri Wildlife area until the threat from the lone animal is adequately dealt with. Management is making frantic efforts to eliminate the animal in interest of public safety,” reads a Tongaat statement.

Meanwhile cases of human wildlife conflict continue to hike in the Lowveld and the incident is barely a month after a man from Village 3, Mukazi in Mkwasine along Senuko Humanity ranch was attacked by a charging elephant and he died on the spot