A fisherman is nursing serious injuries after he was attacked on Saturday evening by a hippopotamus in Lake Victoria.

The fisherman identified as Maurice Odhiambo, 48, was attacked by the hippo while he was bathing by the shores of the lake.

The incident took place in Rasira Beach in Gwasi South Location, Homa Bay County.

The Chairman of Rasira Beach Management Unit (BMU) Sospeter Ayako said Odhiambo was mauled by the hippo and dragged deep into the lake before he raised an alarm.

Ayako said fishermen who were nearby swiftly responded to the distress call and rowed their boats to the scene to rescue him.

‘The rescuers attacked the hippo with crude weapons forcing it to release their colleague who was immediately pulled into a boat before they sailed back to the land,’ he said.

Ayako said Odhiambo sustained serious injuries on his stomach, the thigh and his hands.

He was rushed to St. Camillus Hospital where he was admitted in a stable condition.

Ayako urged the Kenya Wildlife Service(KWS) to ensure t
hose who were attacked by animals were promptly compensated and expressed concerns over increasing attacks by hippopotamuses in the area.

He said that the hippos were also frequently destroying crops belonging to farmers living on the shores of the lake.

He said the hippos were giving the fishermen a hard time in their work.

‘My colleague has escaped death very narrowly; I hope the KWS will compensate him promptly,’ he said.

Source: Kenya News Agency