A twelve year old boy from Leleshwa village in the Ol Moran area of Laikipia was visciously attacked by a marauding hyena last week, as villagers tried in vain to ward it off. The horrific scene unfolded as villagers combined all their efforts in driving off the hyena to no avail. Like a scene from a jaws horror movie, the hyena attacked at around 5 a.m as the boy was preparing to go to school.
The boys aunt, Ann Wambui reported that the animal roamed into their house and pounced on the school going boy. The boy’s father was the first to report to the scene, followed by the mother who was busy preparing the boy’s breakfast from the kitchen. Other villagers joined in the rescue operation but failed terribly an attempt of saving the boy’s life. The boy’s parents were gravely injured in the attack, and were later rushed to Nyahururu County Referral Hospital.
Mohammed Madela, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warden in charge of Laikipia West, would later visit the family to console them. The warden attributed the increasing attack of humans by animals in the area, to a fire that burnt part of the Laikipia Nature Conservancy which drove out animals from the conservancy to human settlements. Madela confirmed the deployment of KWS officers in the area to help in relocating the stray animals back into the parks.