Lions ate my cows

I live in a village bordering a national park and keep cattle and goats for my livelihood. Last week, lions came out of the park during the night, entered our village and killed three of my cows and several goats. I am extremely frustrated because we are constantly told not to kill wildlife, yet when wildlife leaves the protected area, it is our property and livelihoods that are destroyed. Can I demand compensation from the national park or Government? What am I supposed to do if the lions return?

MK, Manyara

We understand your frustration. Unfortunately, the law does not quite work on the basis that if the Government protects the lion, the Government must buy you another cow. Section 71 of the Wildlife Conservation Act provides for payment of consolation to persons who suffer, amongst others, loss of livestock caused by dangerous animals. Lions are specifically classified as dangerous animals for purposes of the applicable legal framework. It is important to appreciate the word used by the law: consolation, not necessarily compensation. The statutory scheme is intended to provide some financial relief for the loss suffered and does not necessarily reimburse you for the actual market value of the animal.

Under the Wildlife Conservation (Dangerous Animals Damage Consolation) Regulations, 2011, as amended in 2024, the prescribed consolation payment is currently only TZS 75,000 for the death of a cow and TZS 37,500 for the death of a sheep or goat. Therefore, if your 3 cows were worth several million shillings, you should unfortunately not expect the statutory consolation payment to equal their market value.

There is also a procedure which you should follow quickly. The Regulations require a person whose livestock has been killed by a dangerous animal to report the incident to the nearest Village Executive Officer within 3 days. An application for consolation must be made in the prescribed form within 7 days, and the incident must be verified by the relevant officials and two independent witnesses. You should therefore not simply dispose of the remains and complain about the incident several weeks later; promptly report it and preserve whatever evidence may assist in verifying the attack.

As to what happens if the lions return, the law does not expect you to simply stand there and watch them eat the remaining cattle. Section 73 of the Act recognizes that killing an animal in defence of human life or livestock is not an offence. However, this protection has limitations, including where the dangerous situation resulted from deliberate provocation or where the relevant person was committing an offence under the Act. Further, section 69 allows wildlife authorities to control animals which cause damage to property or injury or loss of human life. You should therefore immediately alert the relevant wildlife authorities where the lions continue entering the village rather than turning lion hunting into a village sport.