Wisha Yusuf at the King Fahad County Referral Hospital on Friday morning /BRIAN OTIENO
Wisha Yusuf’s wounds inflicted by the ferocious leopard on Friday morning /BRIAN OTIENOA 26-year-old woman in Mangal village, within the Boni Forest in Basuba ward, Lamu county, survived a leopard attack on Friday morning.
Wisha Yusuf was attacked as she tried to save her elderly father from the leopard, which had been resting behind their homestead. Startled by movement as the father opened the chicken coop’s door to release the chicken for the day, the leopard first attacked the elderly man, who raised alarm.
Alerted by her father’s screams, Yusuf darted out of the house to see what was happening before the wild animal turned its attention on her.
The elderly man only suffered minor scratches and bites. As Yusuf struggled to fight off the ferocious wild animal, a neighbour, who was responding to the screams, appeared. The courageous neighbour battled the leopard, managing to kill it, and averting an even bigger loss in the process.
A nearby community health promoter gave Yusuf some life-saving first aid before she alerted the Lamu county emergency operations centre.
“Upon receiving the distress call, we activated the county’s emergency response system and dispatched an ambulance within the EOC’s target turnaround time of seven minutes,” emergency medical technician Nuru Abdulaziz said.
Yusuf was then rushed to Kiangwe dispensary, where she was stabilised.
“At the dispensary, she received emergency wound management, intravenous fluid resuscitation, tetanus prophylaxis and other critical interventions before being referred to King Fahad County Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.
“She is currently in stable condition and responding well to treatment,” Abdulaziz said.
Yusuf sustained deep facial wounds, severe soft tissue injuries to her right hand and significant blood loss, underscoring the importance of the rapid emergency response.
“Had we delayed even a second more, she would have not survived,” Abdulaziz said.
Lamu Governor Issa Timamy lauded the professionalism and speed with which the emergency team acted, saying it probably saved a life.
“I commend the exceptional coordination … of Emergency Operations Centre, the community health volunteer, our ambulance team and the healthcare workers whose dedication and professionalism saved this young woman’s life,” Timamy said.
He said the incident demonstrates why Lamu County invested in a modern emergency operations centre.
“We want to ensure that every resident, regardless of how remote their location, has access to rapid, coordinated and life-saving emergency services. Today, that investment has once again proven its value by saving a life,” the governor said.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening emergency preparedness and ensuring quality emergency medical services remain accessible across all parts of Lamu County, including remote and hard-to-reach communities. Shee Kupi Shee, the Lamu director of disaster risk management and peacebuilding, said the incident is yet another testament to the effectiveness of the EOC.
The EOC, he said, continues to integrate community volunteers, ambulance services, healthcare facilities and emergency responders under one coordinated command system, significantly improving emergency response across the county.
Kupi urged residents, particularly those living around the Boni Forest ecosystem, to remain vigilant.
“As we celebrate this successful emergency response, I urge residents living near wildlife habitats to remain vigilant, especially during the early morning and evening hours when wild animals are more likely to roam near homesteads,” he said.
He said any wildlife sightings should be reported immediately to the Kenya Wildlife Service and local authorities.
“Community awareness, early reporting and preparedness remain our strongest tools in preventing human-wildlife conflict,” Kupi said.
Timamy also commended the bravery of the local resident who intervened to stop the attack, as well as the community health volunteer, Kiangwe dispensary staff, ambulance crew and all emergency responders whose collective efforts ensured the victim received timely medical attention.
