A 52-year-old man was trampled to death by an elephant on Friday as he walked to a shop in a village with cases of human/wildlife conflicts rising in Laikipia County.
The lone elephant, which had been hiding in the thicket, charged at Mr Peter Njoroge and his two colleagues as they walked to Mugumo Shopping Centre in Segera Ward.
The two managed to escape but the jumbo caught up with Njoroge, and tossed him in the air with its trunk before it trampled on him as he cried for help.
“He was attempting to go through an electric fence to escape but he was unlucky. We only managed to escape since we ducked into the thicket as the deceased followed the straight path in an effort to outrun the charging elephant,” said Mr David Muriithi.
Laikipia East Deputy County Commissioner Patrick Muli confirmed the incident saying that his office was consulting with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) with plans underway to set up a special unit in the area bordering Lol Daiga Wildlife Conservancy.
“We had a special KWS unit that dealt with cases of human/wildlife conflict but was moved to Laikipia West Constituency near Rumuruti Town. We are in talks with KWS so that the camp can be brought back so that they can help in driving marauding animals to the sanctuary,” said Mr Muli.
He said the wild animals normally escape from Lolldaiga and Ole Naishu conservancies in search of pasture and they end up destroying crops on the farms, killing or maiming people.
Segera MCE-elect Salim Endong said the conflicts will only come to an end when an electric fence is erected around the two wildlife conservancies.
“The two wildlife conservancies should borrow a leaf from Ol Pejeta Conservancy where wild animals are confined through the erection of an electric fence. With the prevailing drought, we are likely to see more attacks in the coming days,” said the ward representative.
