Eight buffaloes killed by fallen power lines at Lake Nakuru National Park
The entrance to Lake Nakuru national park.
Eight buffaloes were electrocuted near the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK) in Lake Nakuru National Park on Friday.
According to a press statement released by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the eight buffaloes died instantly saying that the unfortunate incident occurred after the buffaloes came in contact with the high voltage power lines that were lying low.
Kenya Power officials who responded to the call discovered that the electrocution was caused by a broken wooden cross arm carrying 33 high voltage poles that had fallen due to the heavy rains in the area.
As a permanent solution, Kenya Power replaced the wooden cross arm with a metal one.
"To prevent similar incidents, Kenya Power has replaced the wooden cross arms with a metal one," said KWS spokesman Paul Jinaro.
A wildlife census conducted by KWS in 2021 showed that Lake Nakuru had the third highest population of buffalo after the Mara Ecosystem and Tsavo.
The total number of buffaloes in the country according to the 2021 census was 41,569.
The Mara had 11,604 (28 per cent) and Tsavo and Nakuru came second and third with 19 and 15 per cent respectively.
Additional reporting by Mercy Koskei.