In a shocking twist of events, a hyena was found stranded inside a Miraa (khat) shop in Nyumba Nyeusi area of Langa-Langa, Nakuru County.
The unusual discovery of the carnivore inside a miraa shop was made on Wednesday morning when the stall owner, Frederick Wamungu was summoned by a fellow dealer in the area asking him to rush to his shop.
Upon arrival, he was met by a crowd of excited people milling outside his shop. It was then that he was informed that there was hyena inside his shop.
It is believed the hyena entered the shop at night when the traders had closed for the day.
“I closed my stall last night around 8 pm, as I had run out of miraa. There was no indication of a hyena at that time,” Wamungu recounted.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers from Nakuru were called to the scene and they successfully rescued the hyena. They transported the animal to a nearby wildlife center for further assessment and care.
The bizarre incident comes weeks after a hyena tragically attacked and killed a Multi-Media University student as he was walking to the hostels in the evening. A friend who responded to the attack was also attacked and lost two fingers.
Hyena attacks have also been reported in Juja area of Kiambu county with Kenyans calling on KWS to capture or kill the animals.
In the wake of many sightings and hyena attacks in residential areas, a KWS advisory on how to react when one encounters a hyena elicited mixed reactions among Kenyans. In the advisory, KWS recommended maintaining calmness and engaging verbally with the hyena if confronted, prompting skepticism among some Kenyans about its effectiveness.
