Wednesday 13 February 2019

Schoolgirl feared dead after Crocodile attack in Homa Bay County, Kenya.

A schoolgirl is feared to be dead following a Crocodile attack in Homa Bay County, Kenya. Veronica Achieng’ of Rachong’ Village was bathing in the River Kuja, close to Lake Victoria, on Friday 8 February 2019, when she was seized by the animal. A subsequent search by local people failed to find her, and resulted in a second attack, when one of the searchers, George Odongo, 37, disturbed another (or possibly the same) Crocodile and received a severe bite to his right thigh.

The River Kuja in Homa Bay County. Tiwaine Ole Nchoko/Twitter.

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 8 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.

See also...

https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/01/pregnant-woman-killed-by-crocodile-in.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/12/crocodile-kills-girl-on-lake-bangweulu.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/12/crocodile-attacks-man-in-karnataka.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/10/woman-attacked-by-crocodile-in-odisha.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/09/collapse-at-illegal-sand-mine-in-kisumu.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/08/kenyan-woman-killed-by-crocodile.html
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