Two injured, cow killed by stray elephant in a Baringo village

Residents of Tanyilel village in Baringo North Sub-County are living in fear after a stray elephant killed a cow and injured two people in the densely populated neighbourhood.
Residents who spoke to KNA said the first alarm was raised shortly before six in the morning after a resident heard abnormal movements outside his house.
According to Job Chesaro, the rampaging elephant went to his neighbour’s home and killed a cow tethered to a tree by throwing the animal in the air and trampling it.
“It proceeded to the next house where the jumbo injured another cow before going on to feast on banana and beans plantations in adjacent farms numbering twenty,” said the distraught villager.
The villagers had a rough time running up and down chasing the jumbo leading to a 28-year-old man being injured by the male elephant.
Robert Kikwai, a clinical officer at Kabartonjo Sub-County Hospital confirmed that Daniel Chesire was treated at the facility after he sustained bruises and lacerations on both legs and chest.
“The injuries were not severe and the patient was treated and discharged,” said the clinician.
Another man was injured later in the day and was rushed to the same facility after the press had left the scene with reports saying he had gone back to his house to attend to domestic animals.
By early morning Wednesday the forest elephant that is believed to have strayed from Mochngoi area was trapped deep in the village surrounded by over 20 households and hundreds of people who had travelled from far and wide to witness the happening.
The security agencies became overwhelmed by the crowd leaving the two KWS personnel and a handful of police officers helpless.
Another resident, Charity Wangare lamented the huge destruction caused by the elephant and asked the government to compensate them for their losses.
“We have not had a meal since yesterday night and we don’t know where we will sleep as we have had to vacate our houses for fear of the animal, I have lost over two acres of a beans plantation, who will pay me for the loss incurred,” wondered the resident.
She added that the police could not provide them with a solution leaving the villagers to contemplate killing the elephant.
It was also reported that another jumbo with a calf had been spotted in the neighbouring Sogom village but this one did not cause havoc as the area has a huge forest cover and is sparsely populated.
A wildlife expert, Gilbert Kiptalam of the Gilbert Wildlife Trust expressed fears that the animals may be facing human threats in their habitat forcing them to migrate to seek safer places.
He linked them with the herd of five elephants that were spotted in Timboroa a fortnight ago saying they must have come from the same area after facing some distress.
“It is very strange for elephants to migrate at this particular time when we have enough forage in almost every part, furthermore this is nowhere near their migration corridors and the only thing that would force them to do so is other threats like poachers,” said Kiptalam.
He called on the government to investigate their habitat in Mochongoi, Marmanet and Loriak forests to ascertain the cause of the unusual exodus.
He also blamed the current incidences on human encroachment on wildlife migratory corridors and called on the government to reclaim these wildlife corridors.
By Christopher Kiprop