Five-year-old child killed by hyena in Kenya

by AFP Staff Writers Nairobi (AFP) Sept 5, 2024 AFP

A five-year-old child has been mauled to death by a hyena in Kenya, the East African country's wildlife service said Thursday, promising that it was tackling the "rising hyena attacks".

"Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) deeply regret to the tragic loss of a 5-year-old child caused by a hyena attack," it said.

The KWS said the attack occurred on Wednesday evening in Juja, Kiambu County, around 35 kilometres (21 miles) from the capital Nairobi.

The service said it was "intensifying efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in the area" and had launched an operation to "address the hyena threat".

Since August 8, "following a similar incident in Juja", the KWS said it had captured and relocated around 38 hyenas.

Local media said a 10-year-old child was also killed by a hyena in the area earlier in the year.

Reports of wildlife straying into human habitats in Kenya have increased in recent years as the animals come under growing pressure from cities expanding into ancient migration and hunting grounds.

In December 2021, hyenas killed two people in 24 hours in a village just 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Nairobi.