A Kenyan herdsman who fought off and killed a lion only to be attacked by a pack of hyenas has died shortly after undergoing reconstructive surgery in hospital.
Moses Lekalau, 35, was returning to his homestead with his cattle along a forest path in Maralal, a popular safari area 160 miles north of Nairobi, when he encountered the lion on Saturday evening.
In an account that the Samburu pastoralist later gave to doctors, he managed to spear the animal and bludgeon it to death with his club. As he was recovering from the half-hour fight the hyenas emerged from the bush and set upon him. A motorist managed to chase the animals away and drove a severely wounded Lekalau to hospital. He was airlifted to Kenyatta national hospital in Nairobi on Sunday.
In a seven-hour operation, doctors amputated his arms and reconstructed part of his face that had been eaten by the hyenas. He died shortly afterwards due to excessive bleeding.
"He was still talking when he was brought in", said hospital spokesman Herman Wabomba. "He said that after killing the lion he was too exhausted to fight off the hyenas. It was them that did most of the damage to him."
Paul Udoto, spokesman for Kenya Wildlife Service, said: "Hyenas are cowardly animals that usually feed on leftovers. They must have been very hungry and realised the victim was vulnerable after the lion attack." Udoto said that Lekalau's family would receive compensation from the government.
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