Fishermen around Lake Naivasha now want KWS to move in and reduce the number of hippos around the water body following the killing of the ninth person by the animals this year.
The fisherman was in the company of his colleagues when the lone hippo grabbed him by the waist killing him on the spot on Sunday.
This is the same spot that another illegal fisherman was attacked and killed by a hippo late last week while on a fishing mission.
According to David Kilo from Lake Naivasha Boat Owners Association, there was need to involve KWS in patrols around the lake due to the increase in the number of illegal fishermen.
Kilo noted that in nearly all the deaths, those involved were foot-fishermen who were fishing around the shores of the lake where the hippos bred.
“There is need to either cull the hippos or involve KWS in patrols around the lake as this will keep away the rising number of illegal fishermen,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by the chairman Friends of Lake Naivasha Francis Muthui who called on KWS to cull the animals.
Muthui said several parts of the lake had been invaded by the animals, adding that it was becoming difficult even for tourists to visit the water body.
“We have seen relocation of buffalos and zebras and the same should be done to hippos in this lake since they are increasing by the day,” he said.
He admitted that culling would a tricky exercise but was quick to note that there was no any other solution to the crisis.
“The number of hippos around the lake has in the last five years tripled raiding nearby farms and attacking fishermen at will,” he said.
Muthui added that the situation had been worsened by the closure of wildlife corridors and fencing of riparian land where the animals fed, making the animals wild.
A senior KWS officer who declined to be named ruled out culling, noting that a census and research needed to be carried out to establish the number of the hippos before action would be taken.
“We have seen an upsurge in the number of hippos attacks but in most cases its human beings who are encroaching on the animals’ territory,” said the officer.