A 77-year-old man is nursing serious injuries at the Consolata Hospital Mathari in Nyeri after he was attacked by a hyena at their village in Losira, Isiolo County.
Akal Lekishe is said to have heard a commotion inside his house near where his sheep had been laying for the night on Wednesday.
His frantic efforts to save his livestock saw him fight for his life after the hyena turned on him.
David Lekishe, Akal’s son says the Wednesday night incident has seen his father sustain serious injuries to the head and to his ribs.
“The hyena stepped on the goat and my dad woke up to try and save his goats. The hyena trying to find his way out, but turned on my father with the door had shut itself from the inside,” intimated Lekishe
The long and treacherous 65km journey from Isiolo to Nanyuki in search of his dad’s treatment seemingly turned into a night of long knives after they failed to get any treatment at the cottage hospital in Nanyuki due to the ongoing doctor’s strike.
Forcing them to seek treatment at the Consolata Hospital Bathari in Nyeri.
“We only have dispensaries in our area that cannot take care of such animal attacks. It is unless we go to Nanyuki which is quite far,” he said.
Lekishe says incidents of wild animal attacks in the area have been rampant with the onset of the rains, with periodic attacks on homes around Oldonyiro ward, as the animals seek food.
“We want to see compensation because there are so many people that have been attacked by elephants, hyenas well and other animals and we heard the president promise prompt compensation of victims of wild animal attacks,” he said.
Lekishe’s family is calling on the Kenya Wildlife Service to set up camps in the expansive Isiolo county, especially in areas prone to wildlife attacks to protect communities living around the wild animal-prone zones.
