A fisheman has been killed in an apparent Crocodile attack on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria. Kennedy Ouma, 22, of Oele Beach in Siaya County, went missing on Tuesday 19 February 2019, prompting a search by officers of the Kenya Wildlife Services, which resulted in the discovery of his partially eaten body three days later.
Residents of Siaya County in Kenya with the body of Kennedy Ouma, 22, who is believed to have been killed by a Crocodile. Isaiah Gwengi/Standard.
Lake Victoria is home to a large population of Nile Crocodiles, Crocodylus niloticus,
which are considered to be a high risk to Humans in the area, with
frequent stories of fatal attacks in nations around the lake. A rising
Human population appears to be fuelling this conflict, with people
becoming more dependant on the lake for water, with many villagers
calling for more governmental investment in
borehole-drilling projects, which will enable them to spend less time
close to the Crocodile-infested waters.
The approximate location of the 19 February 2019 Crocodile attack. Google Maps.
Nile Crocodiles are considered to be of Least Concern under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, but are still protected in many countries, due to historic hunting which decimated populations in many areas. However, the rising number of attacks on Humans by the animals has led to calls for regulated hunting to be introduced to control the population.
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