A 81-year-old man from Chumvi village in Laikipia East district is counting losses amounting to over shs400,000 after his sheep were killed by a leopard. Kakono Leseketeti said a leopard invaded his homestead and killed 105 sheep yesterday.
“The cat attacked the sheep during the night and I came to know of it the following morning because it was raining heavily” said Leseketeti.
He said the animal came from a nearby private conservancy and feasted on his animals. The octogenarian lamented that the sheep were the only source of livelihood and wondered what to do next.
“I have four wives and 26 children who relied on the animals. Now I have been left without anything” He said. A neighbor decried rampant and wanton killing of livestock and crop destruction by wild animals saying the Kenya wildlife service has not done much.
Residents threatened to attack and kill wild animals if KWS does not take necessary measures to curb the menace. Another resident observed that only private ranchers benefit with wildlife through tourism at the expense of locals.
Laikipia County KWS senior warden Dickson Too said that he had sent his officers to lay a trap in the area so that the cat can be caught.
During his inauguration, County governor Joshua Irungu promised to address the issue of human wildlife conflict. He said that conservation of wildlife must go hand in hand in ensuring justice for families and victims of the occurrences.
“Our county is known worldwide for her diversity as a tourist haven, unfortunately the benefits from the lucrative industry have not always trickled down to the lower echelons of our communities” observed the governor.
He expressed his commitment to streamline revenue collection while at the same time ensuring that tax payers are not penalized with unnecessary tax burden.
