Reports Leo Odera Omolo
Cases of wildlife – human conflict still persist in Kenya with fresh report which emerged during Christmas holiday. A middle aged Maasai women narrowly escaped death after she was attacked by a full grown male leopard while fetching firewood in a village near the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is in a Narok land, 80Km – 250kilometres southwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The victim who was alone in a thicket reportedly encountered the beast on X-mas eve at a place called Aitong area
Officials of the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) said the women escaped with some minor injuries on her hands, face, head and back
She had gone to fetch firewood to prepare supper for her family when the incident happened. The KWS official Benard Karua said she is lucky to be alive because moments after the attack one raised alarm which scared the beast away
The KWS hinted that the woman is entitled to compensation for injuries following the – introduced wildlife conservation management- act placed by parliament
In a separate incident of 15 years old boy was killed while a 13 year old girl escaped with broken limbs when they were attracted by a crocodiles which testing water in the River Tana in Garsen, Tana River County in Kenya’s coastal region.
Eye witness saw the body of Abdi David, a herdsboy, that had yet to be recovered at the time of writing this time report.
They said the girl, Leila Santuri, a standard five pupil at Garsen Primary School, suffered broken limbs during the attack.
Both her legs were broken during the vicious attack by the reptile. She was rushed to Malindi Hospital where she is receiving treatment.
The hospital authority confirmed that she was admitted to the facility on December 14 but decline to disclose about her latest condition. She is, however, responding well to treatment.
Another brother of the two victims was attacked and killed by a crocodile in the same spot in 1990, but the government has yet to compensate the family.
The Ward Rep for Garsen and the family of the herdsmen called on the KWS to s build the protective measures as a part of its corporate social responsibility to prevent crocodiles from attacking those villagers fetching water.
ENDS