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What could the authorities have done to stop the lions eating the refugees ?
The border is impossible to watch in its entirety .
Certain of the refugees were caught a few times , some within 3 weeks of their last repatriation , so desperate were they to escape the civil war in Mozambique , and they travelled mostly at night to escape detection , and that is the time when lions become so bold and lose their instinctive fear of humans .

It would be useful if someone who was actually involved in the patrols of the boarder were to give a view. In the book, Frump states it had been happening throughout the 20th Century, but before 1994 there were major army and air force border patrols preventing terrorists entering S.A. from Mozambique. Plus, as I have said, the fence was electrified and that was turned off in 1994.

I am not saying it did not ever happen, I just don't believe that South Africans at that time would have ignored it. Many writers try to portray South Africans then as the equivalent of the Nazis and the SS.

I went to Moz from the Kruger several times and stayed at the Polana and in all that time I never heard anything or any gossip about refugees being eaten. I think it is more likely that it began when the boarder patrols were wound down.

In the book, he claims that all lion in The Kruger have eaten human beings which would certainly explain their familiarity and they are becoming too close for comfort. I heard that the private lodges are getting worried. Any thoughts on that?

I certainly question the assertion that all Kruger lions have eaten human flesh , but there was certainly many a lion who did in the eastern areas , myself having seen the skulls of people killed by lion in the area .
I have also personally witnessed unusually bold behaviour by lions when on foot in the eastern area .

I can tesitfy to the above as well. Have done many a trail since 1991 and the lions behaviour is getting much more bold.

Perhaps the presence of Renamo patrolling the area not only prevented terrorists, but also refugees entering South Africa. An electrified fence would not be too easy to negotiate either.

In the early 90's, you could count yourself very blessed if you came across lions on trail and could watch them (undisturbed). First signs of humans and they would flee. Only when they were not aware of our presence - we were either hidden by shrubbery or would watch them from an elevated height - was it possible to watch them.

However, the last few years I have had many a scary moment on foot when either being charged by lions or growled at (not including the times we 'by accident' came across them). Luckily so far the shouting and clapping of the rangers have been sufficient. I guess it is because we did not run away that it was not necessary for further actions to be taken.

Trust you get the idea, missings.a.!

Thankyou. Yes I get the idea. Don't think I will be going on a bush walk though.

Did not mean to scare you off going on a trail. It is a definite must and I have found that most rangers are extremely professional and in control.

Hope to read a TR of one of your trails or day-hikes soon

Bruce Brydon makes mention of refugees in his book, "Memories of a Game Ranger". Harry Wolhuter alludes to problems in his book, covering the first half of the last century. It has been a problem for decades. It will remain a problem as long as people are driven by poverty and desperation to seek a better life. If there is to be finger pointing, it must be at everything that leads to starvation.

(South Africa's Once and Future Park)

Dedicated rangers crisscross Kruger via Land Rovers, bicycle, helicopter, and on foot to make sure that doesn't happen. Yet when tourism, conservation, and commerce all tug on the wildlife fabric, the edges start to unravel.

Containing Nature

As the adage goes, fences make good neighbors. Ideally, fenced wildlife parks keep wild animals in, and livestock and people (save low-impact tourists) out. This doesn't always happen. Kruger borders Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique to the east. Conservation quickly becomes complex in such a geographical bind. Since 1992, Mozambique has struggled with the transition to peace after two decades of revolution and civil war. The turmoil in Mozambique, the world's poorest nation, has produced a steady flow of illegal immigrants into South Africa, the continent's richest. From 1993 through 1997, more than 16,000 illegals were picked up in Kruger; from January to July of this year, 2,160 were arrested. The eastern border offers a perfect entry spot for those seeking to disappear into the bush. Perfect, with one exception: the carnivores on the other side.

How many illegals are killed is anyone's guess. Rangers report human footprints in the veld vanishing into nowhere and cite scraps of torn clothing as evidence of immigrants being killed by wild animals. One notorious pride of lions killed at least seven Mozambican immigrants in two weeks. Fearing the safety of its own personnel, the park management decided to shoot the pride. "It was very scary, I promise you," says Kruger's head veterinarian Douw Grobler. And at 6'4", Grobler—known as the "Gentle Giant"—does not scare easily. He hopes in the future to use radiocollars to keep track of man-eating lions, and to avoid having to kill carnivores that are simply following their instincts.