Incidences of hippos killing people at lake Naivasha has been so frequent. Another fisherman has just drowned in Lake Naivasha bringing to five the number of people killed by hippos or who have drowned in the lake this year. The man was in the company of others fleeing from a hippo near Karagita landing beach. David Kilo, Lake Naivasha Boat Owners’ Association Chairperson says, ”the wild animals and residents have been scrambling for the few access routes.”
The fisherman fell in a trench used by flower farms while fleeing. He didn’t know how to swim and those near him could not help him which led to his drowning.
This comes after another fisherman who had gone to fish at Lake Naivasha was caught off guard by the charging animal. Another Enoch Romano, 26, lost both legs after he was attacked in the Kasarani area of Naivasha while fishing. The father of two met a lone hippo on his way out of the lake and it crushed both his feet. A Taiwanese tourist was also not lucky after a hippo attacked and killed him. His colleague escaped with minor injuries. KWS officers shot dead the ‘alleged-killer-hippo’, sparking protests from activists who wondered how the animal was identified as the ‘culprit.’
Not forgeting the two people including a Chinese national who were attacked by hippos in two different incidents in Lake Naivasha. The middle aged foreigner died hours after he was attacked by the hippo near Sopa Lodge South Lake while visiting the lakeside town. The Chinese national identified as Chuang Hun was in the company of friends taking pictures on the shore of the lake when the hippo attacked while the fisherman was attacked by another hippo a few kilometers from the scene of the first incident. They were both bitten on the chest but the fisherman injuries were serious that he dies minutes after he retrieved from the lake.
The fishermen say that they know of people who in the past have been killed by hippos, but they still venture into the lake as it is the only way they can survive adding that poverty and lack of employment has pushed many youth into the lake to seek a meal for their families despite the risk.