Scramble for share of rogue hippo

Villagers had the last laugh after a rogue hippopotamus that had been terrorising them was felled in their area on Thursday morning.

The residents of Lanet Division in Nakuru County cut off chunks of its meat before returning to their homes to prepare for the great feast.

The hippo had terrorised the villagers, chasing after them and destroying their crops before it seriously injured a night guard at the nearby Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis).

Gave chase

The guard, Mr Bruce Musungu, heard a commotion at one of the Kephis employee’s home at about 6am and went to investigate what was happening when he came face to face with the beast. He took to his heels, but the hippo gave chase.

“In a bid to save himself, Musungu climbed a small tree outside my house, but the hippo hit it with so much force that Musungu fell to the ground. It then trampled on him and bit him on the heal leaving two gaping wounds,” said the Kephis employee, Mr Peter Shango.

Mr Musungu also had injuries to his head and ribs.

Mr Shango said the hippo had come from a large dam within the research facility where it lived in a herd of three.

Mr Shango said the residents called the Kenya Wildlife Service officers from the nearby Lake Nakuru National Park who promptly responded to the distress call.

Meanwhile, the security guard was taken to the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital where he was admitted.

The KWS officers shot the animal four times, killing it to the pleasure of the residents who immediately armed themselves with pangas and knives, ready to dismember it.

At first there was a mad rush for the free meat, with each resident wanting to get a small peace. But soon, the villagers were amazed at how much there was for each of them.

Some took home as much as 20 kilogrammes of meat, depending on how strong an individual was, while others managed a kilogramme or less.

But some left empty handed, either out of fear of injury or because they could not make their way to the carcass.

Ms Ruth Mwangi Duncan who managed to fight it out with the men and get several large chunks of meat said the arrival of the hippo at the village was a blessing in disguise.

She said there was no time to waste or feel embarrassed in fighting for the free meat.

“I have managed to get about five kilogrammes for my family while other women are standing by and feeling shy,” she said.

She however said it was sad to see wild animals being killed as a result of human wildlife conflicts and urged KWS to capture the other two hippos that were still roaming in the area.

Another resident, Mr Peter Kang’ethe said the hippo had been bothering the people in the area for a long period and that it was good that it had been killed.

He said the village was very happy since every family, even those who could not afford a quarter of a kilo of meat had an opportunity to have some.

Others who were not keen on eating un-inspected game meat watched from a distance.

Area assistant chief James Karanja appealed to the KWS to trap the remaining hippos in the area and take them to a safer place.

He also appealed to the wildlife service to compensate residents whose crop had been destroyed by the hippo.