A Chinese tourist died on Saturday in Kenya after being attacked by a hippopotamus on the shores of Lake Naivasha, while another escaped with minor injuries, wildlife authorities announced.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) made the announcement via their official Twitter handle, saying Mr. Chang Ming Chuang, 66, had been taking pictures when the animal attacked.
The other tourist that survived the attack, Wu Peng Te, 62, was rushed to hospital and is recuperating.
“ Chang Ming Chuang, 66, was pronounced dead on arrival at the #Naivasha District Hospital after being attacked by a hippo while Wu Peng Te, 62, survived the tragic encounter and is recuperating at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort. We are tracking the hippo,” KWS tweeted.
.@kwskenya is sad to announce the death of a #Chinese tourist who was attacked by a #hippo while taking pictures on the shores of Lake Naivasha yesterday evening. His colleague survived with minor bruises and was treated at #Naivasha District Hospital. We are tracking the hippo
— KWS (@kwskenya) August 12, 2018
Local newspapers are reporting that higher than normal water levels are causing hippos to wander from the lake onto nearby farms in search for pastures.
Kenya experienced heavy rainfall for a lengthy period earlier this year causing floods, coming on the back of a severe drought that hit most parts of the country in 2016 and 2017.
Tourism is one of Kenya’s main sources of foreign exchange.
In April this year, Kenya’s tourism ministry launched an initiative to attract more Chinese tourists into the country.
China is currently Kenya’s fifth biggest international tourism source market and the second biggest source market in Asia. It contributed 5.5 per cent of total international tourist arrivals to Kenya in 2017. The number of Chinese tourists visiting the country in 2017 also grew by 11.8 per cent to 53,485.
