A wild animal, suspected to be a stray lion, has killed three cows in Ossen village, Baringo County, sparking fears of more losses.
The incident brings the number of cows killed by the animal in the area to six in a span of one week.
Villagers say the animal is suspected to have struck at midnight killing and mauling the cows near Katimok forest.
Villagers told The Standard they are living in fear and accused the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) of laxity in dealing with the wild animals.
Mr Kendele Chepkwony, who lost a dairy cow, said there is need for KWS to act. He said the continued delay to drive the wild animal out of the villages was worsening the situation, as the locals will continue incurring unnecessary losses.
“This animal has been roaming in this area for the last one week and despite being aware of the risks it poses to humans and livestock, KWS has not done anything,” said Chepkwony.
Escaped
About a week ago, the animal suspected to have escaped from Laikipia conservancy killed three cows in Kipng’ochoch, Sacho area.
Human-wildlife conflicts in Baringo County have recently been on the rise.
Recently, a wild animal suspected to be a leopard attacked Kirisoi and Kapkomon villages and killed more than 100 goats.
Rerimoi Yatich, who lost 24 out of the 26 goats he had to the beast, said the wild animal entered his homestead at around 1am.
Early this year, two people were seriously injured and an unknown number of cows killed after two lions invaded Kabel village in Marigat District.
Monitoring
Area KWS Warden Kenneth ole Nasho said they were on the lookout and monitoring the situation. He said they have alerted the villagers to report any damage that animals may cause on the residents or their livestock.
Mr Nasho cautioned residents against attempting to kill the animal, as this could be risky.
Human-wildlife conflict has come into sharp focus in recent days following the killing of six lions by residents of Kitengela.
