A courageous Zimbabwean woman is recovering in the hospital after managing to fight off a lion that attacked her in the wild.
Violet Moyo, a 57-year-old, displayed remarkable bravery when she grabbed the lion by the throat and choked it during the terrifying attack.
Moyo was heading to her fields early Thursday morning to prepare for the summer cropping season when the lion ambushed her.
She recalled hearing a roar, turning around just in time to be struck by the animal from behind.
The impact knocked her to the ground, but in a desperate bid for survival, she fought back fiercely.
“The lion tried grabbing my throat with its claws, but I kept dodging it until it sank its claws into my left cheek,” she said in an interview with Sunday News. “I instinctively grabbed its throat and choked it. I held on tightly, not letting go until it lost the will to fight.”
Violet’s tenacity eventually paid off. After a struggle that felt like an eternity, the lion retreated and walked away. As it did, Moyo’s screams drew the attention of local children walking with her grandchild, who had been a few steps ahead.
Moyo’s heroics saved her life, though she sustained lacerations to her arms, face, and body. She is currently recovering at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, where she is receiving medical treatment after the brutal encounter.