Infant Killed by Baboon in Murchison Falls National Park

2008

A one-year-old boy by names of Isaiah Ibrahim Enyel was, earlier this month, reportedly attacked and killed by a baboon in Uganda’s largest and oldest protected area – Murchison Falls National Park, in Purongo Sub County, Nwoya District.

At the time of the incident, 4th July 2020 morning, the deceased who stayed at the camp with his parents, was playing in front of the door, while the game rangers were at the parade and his mother was in the kitchen as the baboon entered the rangers’ barracks and attacked the infant – killing him in the twinkling of an eye! The father of the deceased, Okello Alex, is a game ranger in Murchison Falls National Park where he resides along with his family.

Meanwhile, according to the community conservation warden at the Park, Mr. Wilson Kagoro, the little kid was severely injured on the stomach and the intestines came out. Efforts to save his life by rushing him to a nearby hospital yielded no results as he died on the way.
Mr. Kagoro went on explaining that the rangers responded and annihilated the baboon to avoid similar incidents in the future.

What happened was an accident and I think the child was playing at the same time the baboon was searching for food and ended up killing the child. We knew where it was so we had to put it out of action because it would probably keep on doing the same thing,” said Mr. Kagoro.

Aswa Region Police spokesperson, Mr Jimmy Patrick Okema, confirmed the incident saying that the report was made at Nwoya central police station. Meanwhile the body was later handed over to the family members after the post-mortem was conducted, for burial.