A 74-year-old German conservationist narrowly escaped death on Tuesday morning after she was stabbed by a person who was allegedly felling trees on her farm.
Her farm located in Mere area of Malindi sub-county is made up of a 21-acre forest.
The conservationist identified as Silvia Jenkins Pirelli who has been conserving her land for the last 20 years told journalists that she was stabbed on the back by the unknown person when she confronted him.
”I heard someone cutting down trees at around 7.00 am and when I confronted him he stabbed me on the back and I fell down helplessly blood oozing all over,” she said.
Luckily one of her casual worker who she identified as Bidii Charo was on his way to her place using the forest route found her writhing in pain.
“ She instructed me to get a first aid kit which I did,” Charo said.
Charo said her boss then called a bodaboda which rushed her to hospital for treatment before she reported the matter to the Malindi police station.
Pirelli said they have been having challenges with intruders and illegal loggers.
“Early this year over 30 trees were cut off by unknown people and my greatest fear is that since I am getting older, this forest is going to be destroyed by unknown people” Pirelli added.
Pirelli said she has always been at loggerheads with community members who are against the conservation of her forest and she is now running into another headwind since she is getting older and is not able to fiercely defend her forest.
She said efforts to reach out to Environment CS Keriako Tobiko have borne no fruit and this has really disappointed her as her work is what the government has been advocating for: Planting trees and conserving them.
Currently, she has instructed her workers to ensure no one patrols alone as it was becoming dangerous.
