Homa Bay man turns passion into a forest attraction

Beehives at Munglu Echo Conservancy Forest Complex.

A hedgehog is a rare rodent protected by quills that give it the semblance of a tiny porcupine. Known as munglu in Dholuo, the rodent - which primarily feeds on insects but also devours everything from small snakes, baby mice, worms, frogs, fruits to eggs, has weaved its way into conservation parlance, thanks to nurse-turned nature enthusiast Omondi Omolo.

 “I considered munglu an appropriate name for my echo conservancy farm because my father owned a business by that name, but largely by dint of the fact that the animal from physical appearance resembles a miniature forest,” says Mr Omolo, 57, who hails from Homa Bay County.