A Hyena has killed a child in Sambaru County Kenya. The boy who died and his sister were attacked by the Animal at Suguta Marmar. The two children were attacked by the animal while herding the family Goats. The Hyena was driven off, and eventually killed, by members of the public, two of whom were also injured in the process. The children were rushed to the Samburu County Referral Hospital in Maralal, where the boy succumbed to his injuries, while the girl is described as being in a serious but stable condition, with injuries to a leg and both hands.
Residents of Samburu County have increasingly complained of Animal attacks in recent years, although the majority of these have been against farms and livestock rather than people, with Hyenas, Lions, and Elephants being cited as the most frequent culprits. Kenya has a large wildlife-based tourist industry, and most large animals are quite strongly protected, leading to many people in rural areas calling on the Kenya Wildlife Service to do more to protect communities living alongside large wildlife.
There are two species of Hyena found in Kenya, the Spotted Hyena, Crocuta crocuta, and the Striped Hyena, Hyaena hyaena. Of these the Spotted Hyena, which is larger and generally perceived as more aggressive, is more prone to attacks on Humans, but both species are known to attack both livestock and people, and children would be potentially vulnerable to either species.
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