A lightning bolt killed seven head of cattle in Chipinge at midday on Thursday, while a violent storm left a trail of destruction in Chipinge town.
The cattle belonged to Amos Ngazimbi of Lot 1 of Lelisvlei Farm in Clearwater, Chipinge.
Ngazimbi told The Manica Post that he was left with 25 beasts following the lightning strike. He said:
It is a terrible loss to me. Losing my cattle like this is really painful. The incident occurred around 12-midday when we received unexpected rains.
There were no signs that a storm would hit us, but things changed over a short time.
My herdboy approached me while I was sitting in my house to inform me that a lightning bolt had struck and killed seven of my cattle. I was left with 25 beasts.
During the violent storm, a huge tree collapsed on three vehicles that were parked in Chipinge’s CBD.
Lightning poses a threat to cattle and other livestock on pasture. Farmers can protect their animals from lightning by installing a lightning protection system, building shelters and enclosures at lower elevations, arranging pastures so that they contain rows of trees, not singles and keeping animals inside during lightning storms to minimize their exposure to lightning.
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