Dogs ‘Unearthing Children’s Graves’ in Mozambique

Stray dogs in Mozambique have been digging up dozens of graves at a children’s cemetery in the city of Chimoio, residents have told the Miramar TV station.

One mother said that a few days after recently burying her child, she had gone to clean the grave, only to find that the dogs had already unearthed and eaten the body.

The report showed scattered pieces of clothes, bones and human flesh littering the cemetery.

If a family cannot afford a coffin, bodies are often wrapped in a blanket or plastic sheeting.

The Miramar reporter told the BBC that over a period of a week 343 children’s graves had been dug up by dogs.

Residents said the dogs had become a daily hazard, with the situation becoming worse in recent months as fewer people were visiting the cemetery because of coronavirus.

The pandemic also meant that people had lost their income, so might not be feeding their animals.

The fact that the graveyard was unkempt and not fenced off was another problem, the resident said.

The authorities in Chimoio, which is the capital of Manica province near the border with Zimbabwe, were available for comment about the situation.