18 Jul 2017

Baboon survives causing massive power cut

9:54 am on 18 July 2017

A baboon in Zambia has tampered with the cables at a power station in the south of the country, leaving 50,000 people without electricity.

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Baboons are a common sight around Livingstone. Photo: 123rf

The baboon had climbed into the power station and began pulling at the lines, which caused the power cut on Sunday.

It survived a "massive electric shock" that would have killed a human being, power company spokesman Henry Kapata said.

Mr Kapata said a person would also have been prosecuted.

The baboon was rescued by a wildlife organisation and is now recovering but has "serious wounds", Mr Kapata told the BBC.

The power station is in the Zambian tourist city of Livingstone, which is near a national park.

The BBC's Kennedy Gondwe said it was common for wild animals to be roaming in the area.

Electricity has now been restored to the affected customers in Livingstone and the nearby Western Province.

In a similar incident last year, a monkey caused a nationwide power outage in Kenya.

- BBC