Mohammad Sime was a young man of the Borana tribe who lived in Isiolo. He earned his living selling bracelets and other jewellery to the tourists at the Buffalo Springs airstrip. In this way, he was well known to Iain and Oria, who often use this airstrip. He was always friendly and eager to help whenever possible.
We remember him particularly well from one incident involving a long flight over Mount Kenya and Laikipia. Being a friend who was always interesting in the work of Save the Elephants, Mohammad accompanied Iain and I on an aerial mission to follow the tracks of a collared elephant, called Lewis. On the return flight, a zebra suddenly ran across the landing strip and unluckily the plane hit it, resulting in a crash. Fortunately, we all emerged unscathed from the wreck and much closer friends.
On 25th July 2006, two young boys who had been herding goats rushed into Loruko village and reported a dead body lying a kilometer from the village. The elders of the village responded by running to the scene, where they found a person whose cause of death was not immediately apparent. The rangers and other staff from nearby lodges then arrived at the scene, trying to identify the deceased. He was finally named by his colleagues and the rangers from Buffalo Springs as Mohammad Sime.KWS was immediately informed and while they were arriving, the others at the scene investigated the cause of death. Several signs, for example the destruction of bushes around the body and the presence of elephant dung, indicated that he had been trampled to death by an elephant.
It is known that Mohammad was walking home at night, alone and with only a rungu (club) for protection. It is also suspected that he had been drinking and that this may have been a causative factor leading to his death. The body was found near Mugur Nanyori River, which lies between the airstrip and Loruko manyatta. This area was frequented most often by a family of elephants called the Royals during the two weeks prior to the incident. There is therefore a high possibility that this group may have been involved, although without witnesses no one can be certain of this. This case is the first if its kind to be seen within the reserve since Save the Elephants has been established in Samburu; however, similar incidents have been reported from other areas in these districts.
Whilst the loss of a well-known friend is very sad to us, others living in the area will hopefully learn caution from this unexpected tragedy: elephants are unpredictable with their movements and have no boundaries, which humans should always be aware of especially at night.