Inhabitants of Chepsui village in Kiptuiya ward, Nandi County, are counting losses after a wild animal invaded their village and killed several sheep. Speaking to West FM, the affected farmers said that the animal descended on their livestock while they were in their enclosure at midnight, killing ten sheep on the spot and leaving several of them with serious injuries.
They said that the wild animal has not yet been identified, and is said to have strangled and throttled the sheep before sucking blood. The carcass, however, was left behind at the scene by the animal. When the incident took place at midnight, the families were asleep.
Residents were alarmed by the persistent mooing and bleating of other animals and upon checking they confronted by an unknown wild animal, which they could not identify. However, they were able to chase it away before it could launch another attack and cause further harm and disruption in one of the homes.
They are now appealing to the government to compensate them because most of the residents depend on farming, agriculture as a whole of which rearing animals is a vital part of, as a source of livelihood. The attack brought panic to the village as residents fear for the lives of their school going children. According to Assistant Chief Kiptuiya Location Mr. Bernard Mutai the animal has been terrifying farmers since June this year and for a consecutive period of three months, the animal has killed a total of forty sheep.