Hyena mauls four children to death in Tana River
Nurses attending to Mrs Halima Gobu, a survivor of an attack by a hyena which claimed the lives of four children at Kalalani village in Tana River County. PHOTO/FATMA MZEE
What you need to know:
- Three parents are nursing serious injuries at Hola District Hospital.
- The hyena first attacked Mr Gobu’s family as they slept in their manyatta.
- In the second attack, Mr Hanesa, whose whereabouts are still unknown, was attacked outside his house where he was asleep with two of his sons.
- It is not unusual for villagers to sleep outside their houses due to the high temperatures at night in the area.
Four children were Monday mauled to death by a hyena in Tana River County.
Three parents are nursing serious injuries at Hola District Hospital.
Mr Hayyu Hajji Gobu lost three children while Mr Zakaria Fulama Hanesa lost his son in the Monday night attack at Kalalani village in Waldena location.
His wife is in a critical condition after her stomach was ruptured by the voracious hyena.
The hyena first attacked Mr Gobu’s family as they slept in their manyatta.
The disabled father of three tried to save his family but the beast overpowered him.
In the second attack by the same animal, Mr Hanesa, whose whereabouts are still unknown, was attacked outside his house where he was asleep with two of his sons.
SLEEP OUTSIDE
It is not unusual for villagers to sleep outside their houses due to the high temperatures at night in the area.
Galole District Officer Joseph Tangusi said the bodies of the victims were taken to Garissa Provincial General Hospital mortuary for postmortem examinations.
The three who were injured were treated at Hola District Hospital in Galole.
Mr Tangusi said that the Kenya Wildlife Service and Administration Police officers were searching for Mr Hanesa who is believed to have escaped with one of his sons after the hyena killed the other.
“It is still not yet confirmed whether Mr Hanesa and his child are still alive, because they escaped after the hyena killed his son which later got into the house and attacked the woman (Hanesa’s wife),” said the DO.
Area MP Hassan Dukicha asked the government to put in place measures to prevent such tragedies in the area prone to wildlife attacks.
“It is so sad that a family has lost three children and others are in a critical condition in an attack by a wild animal which the government can easily control,” he said.
