This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
Uncovering the Truth Behind a Snake-Infested Farm ¶
As a veterinarian, I've seen my fair share of unusual cases, but none as intriguing as the one that came my way in the form of a phone call from David, a livestock insurance manager in Nairobi.
“How are you sir? Are you Dr Joseph Mugachia?” the caller posed in quick succession.
He explained that he had a claim from one of his customers, an urban dairy farmer in Nairobi, who had insured eight high-quality Friesian cows. However, in one night, all the animals had been killed by snakes, according to the farmer's claim.
The farmer had presented a post-mortem report from a veterinary doctor, showing the cows were victims of snake bites, what the doctor called “snake envenomation”. But David was skeptical, and the insurance company had rejected the farmer's claim.
David wondered how I would get the evidence to evaluate the claim, and we agreed to meet in his office the following day for a full briefing and consultancy agreement.
Upon reviewing the documents and photos, I was struck by the inconsistencies in the claim. Snakes kill for very few reasons, namely for food, if they are threatened, or to defend their territory. It was unfathomable how snakes could kill eight cows at once.
Further investigation revealed that some cows had foam in the trachea and the nostrils, yet the doctor's post-mortem report had indicated that nothing abnormal was seen during the post-mortem examination. None of the photos showed any bleeding in the internal organs of the animals, which is a common symptom of snake venom.
After interviewing the author of the post-mortem report, the owner of the cows, the farm's watchman, and farmhand, I discovered that the cows had likely died of poisoning by a plant called the deadly night shade or Datura stramonium.
It was clear that the owner of the animals and the doctor who performed post-mortem examination on the cows had conspired to defraud the insurance company.
David was elated when I presented to him my report concluding that snakes were innocent. The insurance company gave a final rejection of the claim, and the farmer never contested the decision.
As I reflect on this case, I am reminded that fraud is a crime punishable by law. Even after insuring your animals, take good care of them and strictly abide by the insurance premium terms and conditions to benefit from compensation in case of accidental injury or death.
