Three people are nursing serious injuries after being attacked by a stray hyena at Ormetui village in Isinya sub county. The three herders were attacked Tuesday night while trying to rescue a flock of sheep, which was being attacked by the hyena. According to one of the victims Jackson Ntusero, the hyena sneaked into his neighbor’s sheep pen at around 10:00 pm and attacked their sheep. Ntusero said he rushed to his neighbor’s house after he heard them screaming and tried to fight the hyena, but he was overpowered and bitten on his leg and face. ‘I heard screams from my neighbors and I rushed to their rescue. I tried to fight off the hyena which was attacking the sheep, but it over powered me and bit me on my legs and face,’ he said. Two other men who rushed to his rescue were also attacked and injured by the hyena and are nursing injuries at a hospital in Isinya. Residents of Ormetui village are now living in fear of attacks from stray wild animals, which they say are often spotted in the area. School pupils are now forced to leave school early for fear of attacks from the wild animals. Esther Naserian, a resident of Isinya said she has to walk her children to school and pick them early in the afternoon as she fears that they may be attacked by the hyenas. Naserian urged Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to relocate the wildlife before more lives are lost. She further called for the compensation of animals and property lost through wildlife attacks. Cases of human-wildlife attacks in Kajiado County are a common occurrence as the area is surrounded by three national parks; Nairobi, Amboseli and Tsavo. Wild animals often come into contact with humans especially during prolonged seasons of drought as they change their migration patterns in search of water and patterns.

Source: Kenya News Agency