Fearless man recounts how he fought a rabid jackal

First Published 12:42 31-10-2024

Mr Samuel Maina,58, had finished drinking his 11am cup of sugarless porridge in Gatare village neighbouring Abardare forest, Murang'a County on October 24, 2024, when he heard males, females, and children screaming in the neighbourhood.

"As is normal in our traditions, when you hear screams especially from men, you immediately realise the danger is grave and requires all able hands on deck," Mr Maina narrated his ordeal.

Little did he know that the screams had come to make him the village hero, catapulting him to a near 2024's freedom fighter.

"The first instinct was to first climb a tree and scan the vicinity with my eyes to identify what exactly had raided our village. Climbing a tree is good wisdom since most trouble in the villages attacks from the ground," he said.

But before he could exactly figure out what tree among the many in the surrounding his age could afford to scale, the screams became more hysterical.

"I heard women calling for divine intervention as they screamed. I heard hoarse voices of men calling out for reinforcement In the cacophony, I heard voices announce that some children had been injured," he recalls.

Mr Maina says matters regarding safety of children in his society are an emergency and his consideration of climbing a tree to evade the unknown danger became untenable.

"I armed myself with a panga and started running towards the screams...the screams sounded to be about 100 metres away," he said.

He estimates that he was running at a speed of about 3km/hr (three kilometres per hour).

"You know, at 58 very many issues crop up regarding speed and stamina. But regardless, there was no way I would hesitate to step in any way to save our children," he says.

He had hardly covered half the distance to the epicentre of the scrams when from nowhere he instinctively felt something flying towards his head.

"Don't ask me how I ducked. I don't exactly know...what I know is that there was this animal that looked like a dog...it had its mouth in a menacing sneer as it bared some strong canines while roaring in a terrible sound," he said.

Mr Maina says there was no time to strategise on how to engage, everything was an emergency.

"As I trained my eyes on where the animal had landed after missing my neck, as it turned around to make a new dive at me, I chanced an involuntary glance towards where my fellow villagers were," he recalls.

The villagers were still screaming without coming to his rescue and he knew on earth alone he came and alone he will depart.

"I returned my focus to the danger that I was facing just in time as the animal was airborne coming for my neck...I ducked again and threw out a hand that gripped the machete," he narrates.

He says he was lucky that despite mostly being as a result of luck instead of calculated tact, the sharp edge of his machete connected with the animal's head.

"The sharp edge of my machete had sunk into the animals flesh. Trouble was, the impact threw me off balance and the animal flew away with my machete stuck on its head," he says.

Mr Maina says he felt like running away since he felt vulnerable without a weapon in hand.

"But the damn animal won't give me breathing space. I had tripped and fallen. The machete had flown further afield and the animal as it bared, looking more menacing than never, was charging at me," he recalls.

Mr Maina says he submitted himself to fate and decided to die fighting.

"I faced the animal while flat on my tummy with my right hand outstretched. My eyes never left its neck as it approached...as its bared mouth was about to snap closed on my jaguar vein, I grabbed it's neck," he recalls.

He says he sank his fingers on the animal's neck and changed his position to supplement the grip with his other hand.

"But the animal was strong...it twisted as it clawed on my clothes. I knew my life depended on the activities of my hands. But it was stronger than me and as I squeezed the neck, it managed to bite my head...and then my neck," he narrates.

Mr Maina says he could feel that the cut he had inflicted on the animal as well as the pressure he was applying on its neck had weakened it.

"I felt that if I maintained the grip I was bound to emerge the winner...But I was getting tired...I don't know what was the inspiration but I found myself biting the animal's left ear to prevent it from twisting to bite me again," he says.

As he fought for his survival, he says a handful villagers at a safe distance were cheering him on but cautious enough not to get involved.

"In what looked like eternity, he felt the animal relax and ceased any struggle. He held on, not daring to risk relaxing his grip and the bite...If need be, I was ready to hold on until the first swarm of flies arrived to announce the animal was dead and decomposing," he said.

Mr Maina says the cheering villagers are the ones who disengaged his grip and the bite from the animal.

"As I woke up feeling weak but knowing my moment of playing brave had finally arrived and vindicated me though greatly by luck, I had also discovered that dying for others just like Jesus should be well considered and thought-out," he says.

It was when he had regained his breath and composure that he learnt that the duel had lasted 10 minutes and that the animal had attacked two boys aged nine(9) and 12 years hence causing the screams that he was responding to.

He also learnt that two other men had been attacked and instead of staying put to fight the animal, had outrun it and disappeared to safety.

"It was as the animal gave chase to the fleeing and screaming men that it encountered me and attacked me...all the four injured villagers had now come to the scene and I was an immediate hero," he says.

Mr Maina says had he been a politician, he would have made a speech to the small crowd.

"But some villagers pointed out that we had to be attended to by medics rest the animal had a killer poison that it had transferred to us in the bites...I remembered that I had also bitten it and another wave of emergency coupled with panic set in," he says.

Well-wishers transported all the injured to Muriranjas Level 4 Hospital together with the dead animal.

Kahuro sub-County Police Boss Catherine Ringera told us that the animal has since been identified as a jackal.

"We have confirmed from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) that the animal was a jackal. We have also ascertained that all the victims of the attack require anti-rabies jabs and dressing for the wounds sustained," Ms Ringera said.

She added that medics have confirmed that all the victims are out of danger.

"The KWS has also confirmed that it will move in to ascertain whether there are other similar animals in the neighbourhood and if present, trap them," she added.

Ms Ringera thanked Mr Maina for his bravery.

Mr Maina says the best commendation he looks forward to is KWS compensating him and the three(3) other villagers for the injuries they sustained.

"My Kiharu MP Mr Ndindi Nyoro being the Chairman of National Budget should follow up with KWS and ensure that we properly get compensated for being attacked by KWS animal," he said.