An 18-year-old herder was seriously injured by a buffalo in Ijara District. The animal attacked Hashim Aden Abdow in the stomach and left his intestines protruding on Monday afternoon.
The victim also sustained severe chest fractures, according to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director in charge of Coast Province, Mr Simon Gitau. On receiving the report, he said, KWS headquarters sent a two-seater aircraft to Ijara but returned to Nairobi without the victim due to the magnitude of the injuries.
“At around 6am (yesterday), an African Medical Research Foundation aircraft left Nairobi to pick up the injured herder and take him to Nairobi for specialised treatment but he could not be flown by that plane due to his condition,” he told the Daily Nation by telephone.
He said a contingent of rangers was combing the area in search of the animal and drive it away.
Villager Abdi Jele said the buffalo attacked the young man as he was herding cattle near Worabesa Forest. He said that a villager found the injured Abdow in a pool of blood and alerted other residents, KWS personnel and police officers. A KWS vehicle took him to Ijara District Hospital, where doctors recommended specialised treatment. Mr Jele said the animal had been seen in the area in the past one week and local KWS personnel informed of its presence.
Recently, Five hyenas believed to have eaten about 260 goats in Hola have been killed. The beasts also attacked a woman and her son in Haroresa and Wayu locations two weeks ago. The acting Kenya Wildlife Service warden in Tana River, Mr Alio Adan, said the animals were trapped following a public outcry. He said the operation to eliminate the rogue hyenas was still going on in all affected areas. He said the woman and her 14-year-old boy were severely injured by the animals that had attacked goats in their homestead.
The two were treated at Hola district hospital and discharged.
Mr Adan said elephants which had invaded irrigation scheme farms had been chased away and were now in Kora game reserve, Merti district. (KNA)
