Author Kuki Gallmann "I dreamed of Africa" shot at her Kenyan ranch 23 April 2017

April 23, 2017
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The Italian-born author and conservationist Kuki Gallmann was shot at her Kenyan ranch and airlifted for treatment after herders invaded in search of pasture to save their animals from drought, officials said Sunday.
Gallmann, known for her bestselling book "I Dreamed of Africa," which became a movie by the same name starring Kim Basinger, was patrolling the ranch when she was shot in the stomach, local police chief Ezekiel Chepkowny said.
Her driver also survived the attack and drove her to the airport in Laikipia, where she was airlifted to the capital, Nairobi, for further treatment, Chepkowny said.

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The author of the best-selling memoir I Dreamed of Africa was airlifted to hospital for treatment.Ms Gallmann, 73, owns the Laikipia Nature Conservancy.
She also ran a luxury safari lodge that was burned down last month by suspected cattle herders, who have been in conflict with landowners.

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There is no confirmation of who carried out the attack on Ms Gallmann, who was reportedly shot in the stomach.

She was flown by helicopter to hospital in Nairobi to undergo treatment.

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Ms Gallmann owns about 360 sq km in Laikipia, which is home to rare wildlife, birds and trees. Her organisation also runs community, education, arts and sports projects.

She moved to Kenya in 1972 with her husband and son who both later died in separate accidents. She later became a Kenyan citizen.
I Dreamed of Africa was turned into a film starring Kim Basinger.
The arson attack on Ms Gallmann's Mukutan Retreat last month left it in ruins. There were no visitors staying at the time.

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Mrs. Gallmann, 73, who was hit in the hip and stomach area, was being airlifted to Nairobi for treatment, her family said. She had been riding in a vehicle on her ranch with Kenyan wildlife rangers when she was attacked, and the bullet flew through the door, hitting her.

“This is horrendous for Kenya and horrendous for her,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, a close friend and a well-known expert on elephant behavior.

For the past several weeks, waves of armed pastoralists have invaded her ranch in northern Kenya, part of a wider problem in which many farmers in the area have been terrorized

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Mrs. Gallmann, a passionate, Italian-born conservationist who has been living in Kenya for decades, has been attacked several times before. This month, raiders burned down one of her most beloved retreats on her property, which had been a favorite place of her now-dead son.

In the past several days, the violence seemed to be drawing a tighter ring around her.

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By Sunday evening, her friends said, she had emerged from surgery in stable condition but with extensive internal damage. The next few days could be critical, they said.

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