Kenyan officials did little when a hippo killed a local, critics say. Then a Taiwan tourist was mauled

The two men died similar, gruesome deaths just hours apart – fatally mauled after getting dangerously close to aggressive hippos that live on Kenya’s Lake Naivasha.

But, outraged critics say, authorities cared more about one than the other.

The first victim was a still-unidentified local fisherman, on the lake illegally, who was bitten in the chest on Saturday by an animal whose bite is strong enough to snap a canoe in half. His death made local news reports but was otherwise unremarked upon by local or wildlife authorities.

The second victim was Chang Ming Chuang, 66, who was with other tourists snapping pictures of the animals near the Sopa hotel, when a hippo charged, the Kenya Wildlife Service said. Another tourist was attacked at the same time but survived. Chang bled to death as paramedics tried to save him.

The Wildlife Service initially said Chang was Chinese. Taiwan’s foreign ministry later confirmed he and the injured tourist were both from Taiwan.