One of the strange animals that have been locking Lugari residents in at night and eating their dogs has been killed.
The animal, called a civet, was identified by residents of Maji Mazuri who notified Eliud Wafula, their friend.
“They were two, one male and the other female. When I was called upon, I found them disappearing into the forest. I went after them with my dogs and killed the female one but the male partner escaped,” he said.
Mr. Wafula said that the female was about to attack a woman who was fetching firewood in the forest.
“It even wanted to attack my dog but I was fast enough to hit it with a club on its head and killed it,” he said.
He also revealed that two of his dogs were bitten by the male one but are now in a stable condition.
The animal has been blamed on a number of deaths of dogs in Mufutu Village, especially female ones.
What is a civet and is it common in Western Kenya?
Wikipedia describes a civet as ‘a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests which applies to over a dozen different species’.
It reveals that civets are commonly found in southeast Asia but the best-known species is the African civet, Civettictis civetta. Historically, it has been the main species from which a musky scent used in perfumery, also referred to as “civet”, was obtained.
Civets have a broadly cat-like general appearance, though the muzzle is extended and often pointed, rather like that of an otter, mongoose or even possibly a ferret, Wikipedia says.
The animal is not common in Western Kenya.
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.
KWS could have intervened and saved the life of this beautiful civet.
This could have been an ideal way to attract tourists to Western Kenya. What a loss
Even those dogs doesn’t know their work therefore the male civet should not be hunted to death, it’s rare in Lugari