Fear in Lagdera over wildlife attacks as lawmaker asks KWS to act

Residents of  Lagdera subcounty in Garissa are living in fear following attacks by wild animals that have left several injured.

On September 2, a stray elephant killed Khalif Jellow at Togdub sublocation, It also killed several goats and sheep.

Eight days later,  residents reported seeing two stray lions within their settlements and grazing fields in Modogashe and Ilan, an incident that causing panic and fear.

The latest incident was on Monday evening when two stray elephants attacked and injured two male adults at Serbi area, three kilometres from Modogashe town.

The two—Hassan Ibrahim, 29,  and Mohamed Ibrahim, 31,— were seriously injured. They are currently at the Modogashe Subcounty hospital.

The stray wild animals are believed to be coming from the neighbouring Meru National Park.

Speaking in Modogashe town on Tuesday, Lagdera MP Abdikadir Hussein said residents are now living in fear because of the frequent attacks.

The MP said despite calls by the local leadership and residents to KWS to urgently intervene in the matter, nothing has been done.

He said the most worrying thing was that the attacks were happening within the residents settlements and where most of their socio-economic activities take place.

“Our people are pastoralists by nature and they move far and wide in search of water and pasture for their livestock. Unfortunately, as they are going about their normal lives, they encounter these stray wildlife which poses a big  threat to their lives and livestock,” he said.

He added, “It cannot be business as usual when my people are being attacked by wild animals and live in constant fear. It is my appeal to the KWS to move in urgently and drive the animals back into the Meru National Park. Otherwise my constituents will be left with little option but to defend themselves which will include killing the wildlife. We however don’t want the situation to get to that level.”

Among the measures the lawmaker said KWS should use include coming up with a patrol unit along the border to ward off any stray wildlife trying to cross into human settlements and grazing fields.

Abdi Mohamed, an elder in Modogashe town, said it has become difficult for residents to go about their business not knowing when and where they will come across the wild animals.

“In the past, wildlife have been known to attack livestock and other domestic animals. But it's different now because they are targeting human beings. It is extremely scary, something has to be done urgently by those charged with that mandate,” he said.

Speaking at the Garissa County Referral Hospital, Hassan Ibrahim, a victim, said they were busy looking after their animals with his brother when two elephants came from the near by thicket and started charging towards them.

“Everything happened so fast. All I remember is rolling on the ground and immediately passed out.  The next thing I remember is finding myself in a hospital bed when I regained conscious. I thank God for sparing my life,” he said.