A stray bullet aimed at an angry buffalo hit and injured a man who was hiding in a thicket in Mashuru, Kajiado County.
This was during a dramatic hunt on Saturday of two giant male buffalos that had strayed from the nearby Amboseli National Park and were terrorizing locals.
KWS officials and police arrived at the scene and tried to drive them out of the Eselenkei area in vain.
The officials said the animals became hostile chasing locals and injuring cows.
This prompted the officers to shoot the two buffalos dead using their sports guns as the mob hung around.
It was then that a bullet exited from the second buffalo’s neck and hit an on-looker on his upper left hand near the shoulder.
He was rushed to Sultan Hamud Sub County Hospital where he was admitted in stable condition.
Locals landed on the meat from the slain animals and shared the same.
Officials say this is the latest human-wildlife conflict in the area.
Earlier this year, locals killed more than 10 lions in a conflict in the area. KWS officials visited the area and discussed ways to address the conflict.
KWS officials engaged the community to find lasting solutions that would address the conflict while protecting both human lives and wildlife.
The discussions centered on exploring ways to minimize the risk of human-wildlife conflict, including developing early warning systems to alert communities of the presence of wildlife in their vicinity.
The discussions further centered on the wider scope of exploring human-wildlife conflict in the context of community livelihoods and benefit sharing towards a harmonious coexistence in the open community and wildlife landscapes.
They emphasized the importance of balancing the needs of the local communities with the need to protect wildlife.
They urged the community to report any incidents of human-wildlife conflict to KWS.