Here is what could be fueling the Hyena menace in Juja – KWS
The Kenya Wildlife Service has listed several factors that have contributed to the human-hyena conflict in the Juja subcounty.Â
KWS has translocated 12 hyenas from the area.
The service says it has identified that locals have been improperly disposing of livestock remains in the area that has for the longest time attracted the hyenas.
Another factor that the service states is the presence of abandoned quarries, which they say have provided hiding areas for wildlife.
In addition, there are unfenced dumping sites that have served as feeding grounds for the hyenas, including unfenced, undeveloped land, which, according to KWS, offers shelters.
“KWS recommends immediate preventive measures, such as the restoration of abandoned quarries, fencing operational quarries and the Makongeni dumpsite, fencing abandoned or undeveloped private land, and enforcement of mining policies and regulations,” the service said in a statement.
KWS said translocation efforts were concentrated in various locations within the subcounty, including Munyaka in Theta Ward, Mwireri in Juja House, Athi, Kikumari Zone, Kimich, and Mwalimu Farms.
“These interventions have significantly reduced the conflict. So far, the Service has translocated 12 hyenas from Juja. The Service also facilitated government-approved compensation for affected community members.”
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Further, KWS has urged the locals to adhere to livestock waste disposal regulations by the County Government of Kiambu, along with the construction of hyena-proof livestock pens and installation of residential area lighting.
Incidences of hyena attacks in Juja date as far back as June 2021, when a pack of animals attacked a drunk man and ate his whole body, leaving just bones.
In February 2022, three people were mauled to death by the killer hyenas, prompting Juja residents to threaten to take legal action.
In September of the same year, a Grade 3 boy was mauled to death by hyenas in Nyacaba village.
On December 2, 2023, a middle-aged woman was mauled to death by the hyenas as she walked to a coffee farm in Nyacaba village.
Residents blocked armed police from collecting the body, demanding that the police hunt down the hyenas before collecting her remains.
On November 20, 2023, a clan of hyenas also killed a 10-year-old pupil in the Weteithie area.
Here is what could be fueling the Hyena menace in Juja – KWS
