Fisherman feared dead in Lake Naivasha hippo attack

Hippopotamus at Lake Naivasha.[Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

A licensed fisherman is feared dead after a boat capsized in Lake Naivasha on Wednesday evening following a hippo attack.

During the incident near Kasarani landing beach, two other fishermen managed to swim to safety as cases of hippo attacks continued to rise.

The three were setting their nets when a lone hippo attacked and hit their boat, which capsized, sending them into the troubled waters.

In the last couple of months, cases of hippo attacks mainly involving illegal fishermen have risen in the lake, with over 30 people losing their lives since the year began.

According to Grace Nyambura from Lake Naivasha and Lake Oloiden Fisher's Organisation, this was the third time that the lone hippo had attacked fishermen in the area.

She said that the issue of the rogue hippo had been reported to KWS, but no action had been taken, adding that they feared that the missing fisherman could have drowned.

“This was a licensed fisherman who was setting up his nets in the lake when the hippo attacked and a search and rescue operation is going on,” she said.

Nyambura decried the rising cases of hippo attacks in the lake, noting that at least one case was reported every fortnight, mainly involving foot-fishermen.

According to Francis Muthui, the chairman of Friends of Lake Naivasha, over 50 people were killed or maimed by hippos last year while fishing or walking around the shores.

He said that over fifty percent of riparian land around the lake had either been fenced or cultivated and this had reduced pasture grounds for hippos, buffaloes and antelopes, leading to a sharp increase in wildlife attacks.

“The number of hippos around the lake has in the last five years tripled in the process raiding nearby farms and attacking members of the public at will,” he said.

Muthui added that the situation had been worsened by the closure of wildlife corridors and fencing of riparian land where the animals fed, making them very wild.

The Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) has termed the number of hippos in Lake Naivasha as ‘healthy’ despite rising cases of fatal attacks. 

The research institute noted that a census conducted last year indicated that the lake had over 500 hippos, which were optimal with the number rising gradually.