Hundreds of wild animals from a private conservancy have been displaced following a fierce wild fire that destroyed thousands of acres of vegetation in Gilgil Sub County.
Over 3,000 acres of vegetation went up in flames in Kigio Conservancy along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway that borders the Gilgil weighbridge.This came as Kenya Wildlife Service called on residents in the area to be on alert of wild animals straying from the expansive conservancy to their farms following the overnight inferno.
According to a resident Peter Wahome, the fire that started from one end spread fast burning key vegetation for the animals before it was finally put off six hours later.
Wahome said quick efforts from fire fighters from Nakuru County Government and National Youth Service helped contain the inferno. “The fire spread quickly due to strong winds and before fire fighters arrived tens of acres had gone up in flames while wild animals’ majority being grazers had been displaced,” he said.
He said though no one was hurt during pastures for both livestock and wildlife had been wiped out leading to a crisis in the coming days.
Gilgil Deputy County Commissioner Mutheki Ndambuki confirmed the incident saying initial investigations into the fire outbreak pointed to some herders.“We heard reports of some herders who had lit fire to cook but due to the strong winds it spread to the dry vegetation resulting to the damage witnessed,” he said.
He called on residents to be cautious during this time as many of the wild animals in the conservancy had left the area to nearby farms.