Lucky escape as stray leopard injures five men

**24- years-old Abdul Aziz Langat from Kiptenden village in Kipkelion west constituency in Kericho County survived death by a whisker after a deadly encounter with a maraunding leopard.**

Five people are nursing serious injuries after they were attacked by a stray leopard in Kiptenden village, Kipkeleon West constituency, Kericho County.

Abdul Aziz Langat, 24, survived death by a whisker after the encounter with the marauding leopard.

Four others, Simeon Langat, Jonathan Ruto, Kenneth Bett and Brian Kiprotich, were also left nursing various injuries after the encounter with the mature cat estimated to be 6-8 years old.

The beast, believed to have wandered from Tindiret forest and took refuge along a riverine in a local farmer's coffee plantation, leaped from its hideout as villagers attempted to flush it out.

It bit Langat on the arm, leaving him bleeding profusely. It also crushed him to the ground and broke one of his legs.

"We had been attempting to flush the leopard out from Friday morning and chase it back to the forest after it had attacked and injured four other people. After the dogs flushed it out of its hideout, I tried to flee but it caught up with me in a flash," said Langat.

The victims were rushed to various Kericho hospitals for treatment.

It took a contingent of officers drawn from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Administration Police (AP) at least three hours and tens of bullets to bring down the leopard.

Salome Chelelgo, the officer in charge of the Kericho KWS station, asked residents to call for help after spotting a wandering big cat.

"Next time a wild an animal wanders to the village, we urge residents to alert us and stay out of its path," said Chelego.

She said the attack victims will be compensated in due course. In his get-well-soon message to the victims, Governor Paul Chepkwony said his administration will push for the victims' speedy compensation.