The World Wide Veterinary Services (WVS) has ruled out food poisoning and disease outbreak as the cause of death of the 35 buffaloes on Musa River in Itezhi Tezhi.
According to a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by WVS Chief executive officer Dr. Luke Gamble said the deaths are as result of drowning due to the herd stampeding whilst trying to cross the river.
Dr. Gamble explained that the reason they ruled out food poisoning is because only buffaloes were found dead and not any other animals within the proximity.
He added that the vultures were present and they all looked healthy despite eating internal organs of these carcasses.
Dr. Gamble further said other animals such as Impala, warthog, hippo, among others were still drinking from the same area and no fish was found dead.
He stated that disease outbreak was also ruled out because there were no other buffaloes spotted sick within the same area and the number is too big to die instantly.
He said that stampede is therefore the only reason that could have caused the death of the buffaloes unless the blood test proves other wise.
Dr. Gamble noted that the bank of the river at which the buffaloes entered to cross was quiet steep with deep waters.
Dr. Gamble further said the stampede might have been caused by a pride of lions which were actively hunting their prey.
Early this week ZAWA reported that 30 buffaloes were found dead and floating in the Musa River and the death toll had risen to 35 later in the week.
ZANIS
Buffaloes get the main story today instead of politics all the time. So what’s up with them? Let me read….meanwhile Nambala wanu ka! Nizeeeeee
LIes and illusions in Zed
I am surprised we are not blaming the NGOs, diplomats and the IMF or World Bank for this unfortunate incident!!!
A Junior High School class or a Wildlife Club could have easily diagnosed the same facts, Mr. Gamble. The interesting question is what measures is WVS putting in place to ensure that a simillar mayhem does not reoccur?
lets learn to appreciate fellers, these people have done a commendable job. Good job people i love pipo that have their hearts and minds to nature. Tho’ our system is difunctional, we still have individuals that have capacity and abilitity to make a difference in society and the country as a whole. this is even much better than listerning to empty mulongoti or Banda
#4 (Nine Chale), what measures do you want WVS to put in place?. This is part of nature, buffaloes die, crocodiles are fed, vultures are fed etc. Too many buffaloes = overgrazing. Do you want the pride of lions to be extaminated?. Dr Gamble’s job is only to make sure its not a disease or poison that killed them because it would affect natures cycle, plain and simple.
Dr. , sorry i dont belv u, i watch these thing nearly every day on animal planet and other channels, i hav seen lions chasing after buffalos, buffalos crossing deep rivers wer there croc, wich drowng ar u talking abt, just do u home work properly. U ar just happy got paid yo allowance for viewng dead annimals and came bak with a foolish ans
please be serious ba WVS a buffalo drowing – where on earth? these creatures are natural swimmers no one teaches them to swim. Give us the root cause not the stories u re giving us twapapata!
# 7 (The Mwine) watch wilde beasts crossing the masai mara river in Kenya during their migration. A lot more are killed due to stampedes caused by lions. Besides it depends on how steep the cliff is and how deep the river is. Do you expect them to be floating in the river forever.
#4 Nine chale, This occurance is purely natural. Visit the Serengeti animal migration which is one of the great wonders of the world. Animals die in thousands and surely this is not for man to start guiding here. We have failed to look after the tamed cows and pigs and we want to take our failure to the bush. We have to be very real the way we handle issues of these WILD ANIMALS. Now even a foreign Doctor for animals is talking.
Please tell us something else 30 Buffaloes drowning at this time of the season when most rivers in Zambia are even dry? The problem we have in Zambia is that no one is ready to tell the public any true. Have you guys at World Wide Veterinary Services (WVS) and ZAWA watched how buffaloes cross Masai mara in Kenya and have you EVER seen even a calf drowning?? Be serious please!!!!!
Number 4 Do you want a Bridge built for the buffaloes? that will be neat…..
Amazing how ‘little knowledge” gained from watching Animal Planet can be used to express one’s ignorance. Iwe Nine Chale #4,are you sure you haven’t seen Gazzelles or Wildebeests dive from impossible cliffs and end up trampling all over each other resulting in multiple deaths as you watch your Animal Planet?? Let the proffessionals discuss such issues and not chaps like you with less than half the knowledge shhaa!!That issue worried me a lot as a professional in that field and that explanation from the guys toned down my worry.As for #7 ba The Mwine naimwe, give credit where its due.Next you will be saying you have seen Buffalo chase lions cos this has been shown on TV.Give us a well deserved break and shut the hell up!!!!!!!!
mumbalafye shut wat up young star? i know wat am talking abt, ‘little knowledge’ u pc of sh..t mf
#14 gotcha!! Only I am not a youngster,pc of whatever as you suggest. And for that reason I elect not to tango with you.You know why??? Pipo will not notice the difference. Thanks mate, at least I drove my point home.
OK I might just agree with most of you guys saying that this is a natural phenomenon but I think at least there’s one measure WVS could put in place (instead of relaxing by the riverside and sipping club soda all day):
Install video cameras or high profile sensors/detectors around the areas where the Buffaloes live so that any vigorous movements of the animals are immediately monitored and further havoc is avoided in time. This will not only create employment for native Rangers but will also boost the local tourism industry by combining fascination and responsibilty. Can I get a witness?
Free game meat right there. HK.com
Nine Chale, stop drinking Tujilijili!
I think poachers devised a new tech of not using ammo only to end up with half the heard…. Uuuuh!
#18 With over a hundred labels of Beer in Germany, I would be literally mad to go for Tujilijilis -Admittedly, general silliness often creeps into my comments, but I hope you won’t begrudge me my little blogging pleasures since I didn’t offend any one. Bye for today.
Ba Nine Chale # 1, How ignorant can you really be. Do you know any thing about wild life and what these precious animals contribut to our economy? God!!!! Please don’t say anything if you don’t really have anything sensible to say. It’s people with minds like yours that cause Zambia an many African countries to stay in the third world. Please get some education!!!!!
#21 You are correct. Advise Nine Chale and others to emulate me. I am following what the experts are saying. I do not know much about these things so I really appreciate a little education, like what Dr Gamble has said.
Oh sorry, and I have also learnt from you and other knowledgeable bloggers. Thank you so much.
This explanation is very logical. It shows you need to up the capacity building in ZAWA so that they can professionally articulate scenarios like the one that just occurred. Had it been poisoning, they would have been found dead close to the waters not in the water. I am sure test results will support this logical explanation.Â
This was simply a natural disaster.Â
Hey people… for how long have these buffaloes been crossing that river without drowning amass??? why now ?? that should be the topic for debate…
stop beating about the bush Dr. Luke Gamble..
#25, Thenji Stevens {Mrs):
So what do you think happened?? You seem to know more than the experts. May someone sent those poor buffalos “aka LUMBA”, right? LOL LOL!!!
Surely, conspiracy theories have their place in our human psych, but try and manufacture one out of what clearly seems to be just “mother nature at work” is, quite frankly, stretching it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you start blaming RB or Shikapwasha for this—-MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!
Umunani ka? I wish I was close by during the time of the stampede, That’s enough relish to last me for a year or so.
The time has come for the drowning of MMD.
sopme of these things u only comment on what u know not just to leave words on the block
We have missed the rare bush meat. In fact buffaloe meat is very tasty.
The observation by DR. Luke Gambles makes interesting reading. So the lions pushed the animals to their death by drowning. This could be a very interesting case study. We are still waiting for further results. I was wondering if it could be possible for poarchers to poison such a large number of buffaloes given the condition of poarchers being highly mobile and how they were going to skin the animals and smoke the meat and make it ready for the pot in towns. Seeing is believing.
Lions are stealthy stalkers that will lie in ambush before they pounce because they depend on the element of surprise in their hunts.They are not sprinters like Cheetahs and very rarely give chase over a long distance. So picture it, here is a herd of Buffalo,completely unaware of the danger lurking behind a shrub, and then vrrrrrroooom! lions head -on. The natural instinct is to dash backwards.The theory by Dr Gamble is logical,cos how come no other species were found dead in the same area?Poisoning if any could not have been Buffalo-selective.In any case the carcasses were found floating in the river,having been forced in state of panic to cross or jump into the river most probably from a steep cliff. They are a gregarious species which live in large families some survived obviously.
Mame Nyama ya Musanga. It would have been agood for the pot after determiningnthe cause of death for the locals even prisons etc. That is wealth wasted. Any way the vulters had a field day. And where were the hynas. I reckone the Kaondes missing nyama ya munge. It appears ZAWA is not doing enough to preserve our wilflife. They are only concentrating on policing i.e fighting poarchers. Something must be done.
well if humans occasionally get killed in thousands by tsunamis, stampedes, landslides etc, why cant it happen to buffaloes. its all nature..Â
reading these comments always makes my day and makes me feel closer to home. happy blogging guys.