By Hou Akot Hou
At least 12 heads of cattle have been reportedly devoured by hyenas in Gakrol Payam of Aweil South County, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State this month alone.
Residents in the area disclosed that since the beginning of this month, the hyenas have been preying on their animals whenever they are driven to the bush for grazing.
Garang Deng, one of the cattle keepers, expressed shock over the high level of destruction caused by the wild animals.
Deng said it is the first time in a decade that they have witnessed such occurrences or incidents caused by wildlife.
“When you untie the cows and goats in the morning and drive them to the bush, you ensure that the little boys are not allowed to go and attend to the cows alone,” he narrated.
“Last week, the hyenas killed my bullock (Makuei), and it added to the other residents’ cows, making a total of twelve that the carnivorous animals have devoured,” Deng revealed.
He feared that the wild animals, especially the Hyenas, could soon begin attacking humans if their threat was not taken seriously by the wildlife authorities.
The residents appealed to the authorities in the county and the state at large to heed their call for intervention.
Responding to the reports emerging from the county, Michael Mawein, who acts as the deputy director in the Ministry of Wildlife, didn’t acknowledge the development.
“That incident in Aweil South has not come to light fully as a concern, but since we have been notified through the media, we will talk to our concerned authorities in Aweil South County at Malek-Alel, county headquarters, in order to get full details about the incident of hyenas,” he responded.
The Ministry of Wildlife Service Conservation and Tourism has been issuing stringent measures to the public against killing wildlife as part of the measures to protect, preserve, or conserve them for the sake of the national economy.
Those wild animals could be a source of revenue for the country if they are kept in parks or reserves for tourism purposes.