Lions killed for heads and paws - farmers worry about muti market

Limpopo farms have experienced a recent wave of what could be "muti" related lion killings‚ with five of the creatures found dead in a week.

Three farms have been targeted. In each attack the lions' heads and paws were removed.

• Hundreds expected to protest against lion hunts in AfricaTMG Digital Hundreds of people are expected to gather in London on Saturday to protest against the hunting of African lions as trophies. 

On Monday a female lion and a male lion were found shot and poisoned on a farm in the Bela Bela area. Last week a male lion was poisoned on a farm in Groblersdal.

In an incident on Sunday‚ two protected white female lions were found dead at Saint Etienne farm in the Waterberg District Municipality.

A veterinary hospital confirmed that the lions had been poisoned. Limpopo police spokesman Colonel Ronel Otto said that the SAPS were investigating the possibility of a gang being responsible for the three attacks.

Community news forum‚ Crime Intelligence and Community Awareness‚ posted on its Facebook page that the lions' severed body parts could be destined for the traditional medicine market.

Said CICA: “There is real concern that these are the first occurrences of what could be a rash of lion killings. Is poaching coming to the domain of the lion?” Otto could said she could not comment on the motive for the killings.

“There is a lot of speculation but we are not really sure at this stage‚” she said. No arrests have been made yet.