Elderly Kenyan farmer is disembowelled and then trampled to death by an elephant
- Charles Mutisya was working on his farm when the animal impaled him its tusks
- The 73-year-old was discovered with his intestines hanging out of his stomach
- It is believed animal wandered to his land from nearby Tsavo East National Park
An elderly man has been disembowelled and trampled to death by an elephant in Kenya.
Charles Mutisya, 73, was working on his farm last week when the animal impaled him its tusks.
Officials suspect the elephant made its way to Mr Mutsiya’s farm in Makueni County from the nearby Tsavo East National Park.
Wildlife authorities in Kenya shoot up to 120 problem elephants each year.
‘Police from Mtito Andei police station and Kenya Wildlife Services rangers visited the scene of the incident and found the body having visible injuries with intestines hanging outside the stomach,’ Makueni County Police Commander Joseph Ole Naipeyan told Kenya News Agency on Wednesday.
The man’s body was taken to Makindu Hospital for an autopsy.
Officers and rangers carried out patrols of the surrounding area following the killing.
While many in the West have deep affection for the animals, they strike fear into the hearts of the farmers who live in rural Kenya.
Not only are they incredibly dangerous if they attack, but they decimate crops, marauding through fields and consuming hectares of food.
Poor farmers, forced to work land in elephant territory, can lose their livelihoods in just hours if a herd passes through.
Wildlife authorities in Kenya shoot up to 120 problem elephants each year.
In the last century, African elephant populations have declined from 3 to 5 million to 470,000 to 690,000.