Elephant carcass exposes residents’ superstitions

By Kenan Miruka

When residents of Magenche, Kisii County, recently killed a cow elephant that had strayed from the Maasai Mara, not a single piece of the carcass could be seen within an hour.

The manner in which residents risked life and limb to get even the elephant’s dung exposed the superstitious nature of residents.

Some who carried huge chunks of meat into their homes were, however, left wondering what to do with it when rumours that it was unfit for human consumption emerged.

The animals strayed from the game reserve at night into the densely populated villages along the Transmara-Gucha border, destroying crops and killing livestock.

Residents of Mogenda village in Gucha South woke up in the morning to find a villager’s bull killed.

By the time alarm was raised, two dairy cows belonging to a farmer had been flattened.

Within an hour, a large crowd had gathered.

Police had a hectic time keeping the crowd at bay while monitoring the elephants.

The crowd charged, throwing spears at the animals.

Unfortunately, the elephant caught hold of one man, shook him vigorously and flung him on the ground.

This prompted police to shoot it in the leg.

After ascertaining that the animal was immobile, villagers descended on it with all types of weapons.

"I must get a piece of the heart and dung," shouted an elderly man.

The crowd continued swelling as word spread to surrounding villages that an elephant had been killed. Within an hour, little was left of the animal. Bones, intestines and intestinal fluid locally known as eura were the most sought after parts of the animal.

Witchcraft

"Today I have proved that our people are either superstitious or have strong belief in witchcraft," said a youthful villager.

Locals living in Nairobi and other towns are said to have made phone calls begging their kin to ensure they get certain parts of the animal’s body.

"One senior civil servant called pleading that I preserve a piece of the heart and a bone for him. It was crazy," exclaimed a middle-aged man who revealed he had about 30 kilos of elephant meat in his house.

Herbalists who arrived late from villages as far as 50 kilometres away were forced to buy the meat for as much as Sh 1,000 per kilo from villagers, further underlying its significance.

Locals interviewed said no single piece of the elephant meat was useless.

They explained that one got courage after eating roast elephant meat.

Others said feeding livestock on elephant dung makes them fierce, reducing chances of rustlers stealing them.

Carried away one ear

"I carried away one ear though it took me a whole 30 minutes to cut. I don’t eat elephant meat. My dogs are having a feast," said a 25-year-old man.

Some elders, however, warned that killing elephants was taboo as it is a distant relative to human beings.

"Our ancestors used to conduct certain rituals before consuming elephant meat. Something bad may befall those who consume it," warned one.