Elephant dies of hunger, exhaustion in Meru

An elephant lost its life in Meru County's Imenti Forest on Tuesday owing to starvation and exhaustion.

The elephant reportedly collapsed on Monday and was being tended to by officials from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who gave it a shot of glucose in a bid to resuscitate it but their efforts were futile.

It finally passed away as residents of Nchoroiboro village, who decried the effects of the drought currently ravaging parts of the country, thronged the area armed with machetes in an attempt to slaughter the animal.

"This qualifies as edible meat for us. We are actually surprised as to why the Sheldrick officials were trying to save it when we ourselves haven't eaten for days," Jacob Kirema, one of the area residents, told Citizen TV.

According to residents, the case is not isolated since in the past few months reports of elephants starving to death within the area have been on an upward trajectory.

"A lot of elephants have lost their lives due to starvation in the past few months. One elephant actually killed a man who went into the forest to look for food," Paul Murangiri, another local, said.

Confirming the allegations, Eastern Regional KWS officer Captain Robert O'Brien, who spoke to Citizen TV on phone noted that four elephants, including a calf, have so far died within Imenti Forest due to the worsening drought situation in the area.