This archive report was first published on 17 August 2021.
On Tuesday morning, a 20-year-old man was badly injured by marauding elephants roaming in Isiolo town.
The elephants, believed to have sneaked from Buffalo Springs National Reserve, caused fear and panic among residents as they walked along the Isiolo-Moyale highway.
Some traders who were opening their shops at the time hurriedly locked the doors, while a majority of residents ran for safety.
Before invading the town, the elephants had damaged a perimeter wall of one of the boarding secondary schools in the town.
However, surprisingly, the animals did not cause any destruction in the town, which has numerous shops and stalls and is always full of activity.
It was while leaving the town that the non-violent animals were provoked by Mr Nicholas Morun, who attempted to chase them away.
"We had warned him against going so close to the jumbos but he would not listen. He kept insisting they were harmless before he started chasing them," one of the residents said.
The injured man was taken to Isiolo County Referral Hospital, where Medical Superintendent Hussein Mohammud said he sustained injuries on his head, ribs, and knees and was in stable condition.
"He is stable and being monitored by the doctors," Mr Mohammud told Nation.Africa.
Kenya Wildlife Service Senior Warden Mohammud Madera said KWS officers managed to drive the wild animals back to the reserve, preventing further destruction.
With the persistent drought, he said, cases of human-wildlife conflict could rise in the coming months due to reduced pasture.
