Nine hospitalised after eating hippo meat

Embu, Kenya: Nine people are admitted at the Embu Level Five General Hospital after allegedly feasting on a hippo carcass in Kaluku village, Mbeere South Sub-county.

 Police rushed the victims to the hospital on Monday night after they complained of itching and swellings of their hands and other parts of the body.

 A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Standard that the dead hippo was swept to the banks of Masinga Dam and residents fed on it oblivious of what had caused its death.

 “The villagers got hold of the meat and ate it without first caring  to find out what had caused its death,” said the resident.

Local police chief Bernstein Shari said the complications may not necessarily be due to consumption but called for patience as authorities conduct investigations into the incident.

He called on residents with samples of the meat to give it to authorities for assessment and urged residents who may consumed the meat to seek treatment.

 Embu Hospital Medical Superintendent Gerald Ndiritu described the condition of the hospitalised victims as stable.

 He said they suspected the hippo may have died of anthrax.