Hi all,
Just got to know that one chinese lady was killed by hippo on Sunday, I don't know the reason, but probably she used flash when shooting a baby hippo, and the hippo mother was then killed by wildlife officials, so sad!
Many ppl were killed by wild animals each year, any one could tell me what to do and what not to do with the wildlife? And are the lodges safe from animals attacking?
Cheers,
Alexis
Kenya is now safe, what happened was trespass by the animals which was shot.feel free in my country,it is safe to travel,if you fear then i will host you and take you around and recommend the best for you
lets talk thanks;
Use your good judgment and Keep a safe distance from wild animals. especially the mothers with young ones.They will definitely respond to any perceived threats to their calves and cubs. The animals are not in a zoo but in the wild
Hey guys, thanks! I forgot to say she was killed on the way from lodge restaurant to her room... No fence or wire mesh isolate the animals at the lodge??
There are lodges and tented camps that are fenced (some electrified) and some that are not. I did not feel unsafe in Kenya, except in Nairobi traffic... Most places will have an askeri(guard) to accompany you when it is dark, and patrol the area at night. A good guide will instruct you on how to behave in the presence of wild animals and is worth his weight in gold. According to this news story, she was taking pictures of a baby hippo after dark...a terrible tragedy.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000082091&story_title=Kenya:%20Tourist%20killed%20by%20hippo
Hi,
It seems that the lady wasn't on her way to the restaurant but was taking photos of the hippo's calf, the mother thought her calf was in danger so charged.
It's a generally quoted 'fact' that more humans are killed by hippos (apparently around 3,000 per year) than any other wild animal in Africa, it is very dangerous to approach their young or to get between them and the river as people are most often killed when they get between a hippo and deep water or between a mother and her calf. All good guides would pass on this advice, maybe she wasn't given it or maybe she ignored it
The woman may have been using a low-zoom phone camera, which doesn't allow for safe picture taking of animals, even in daylight. A lot of people are doing this now - it isn't safe.
Safe night photography requires a strong spotlight and a good zoom lens. You also need a "blind", which is a cluster of trees, a rock or some other barricade to take refuge behind as well as hide yourself from the animal.
I remember when Lake Naivasha didn't have a single hippo fence anywhere. But that was before digital technology enabled everyone to have a camera at all times. Unfortunately, these accidents will lead to more and more fencing, which will dilute the real African wildlife experience that made Kenya legendary and replace it with a more zoo-like environment.
Usually lodges have guards who can walk you to and from your room at night, in order to avoid such incidents. Some lodges or tented camps are fenced off, but some are not. This is the African savannah, not a zoo, and walking amid giraffes and antelopes has tremendous charm. Of course you should always be careful, accidents do happen but they remain extremely rare. In Kenya you have one million times more probability of being injured in a car accident than by a wild animal.
I stayed at the Naivasha country club before Christmas. While this is very sad I'm not entirely surprised. In the late afternoon we were approached by a security guard who told us about the hippo grazing the lawns at night. At 2am there was a knock on the door - two security gurads telling us 'The hippo's here'. We did go for a look but stayed near the bar while the hippo was at the bottom of the lawn and it 's a very big lawn. It was a nice thing to see and we were encouraged to go closer if we wanted, we declined. I suppose someone who had little experience of wild animals or was simply excited to see a hippo out of the water might have approached it. If locals or rangers say its dangerous don't do it but if they say it's safe still use your own judgement, it's your life not theirs.
I'm surprised more people don't get hurt by wildlife. In my time here I've seen and heard about people doing crazy things when they see animals in the wild, sometimes this involves hysterical reactions, including a woman who squealed and cried her way round the massai mara - that was a long day! That sort of thing can only put them in danger by clouding their judgement.
I think that many people are used to seeing wildlife on TV and once in the middle of the savanna, they don't realize that this time it's for real, and that this lovely lion who seems so lazy might actually run very fats and try to eat them if they get ouf of the car, something I've seen tourist do.