By Mary Mwendwa
India Nuru, is a humble ordinary child from Dadacha Basa Location in Merti district, Isiolo County.
She stunned many including her family when one day walked into their compound cuddling a baby gazelle.
India 12, who is also a class three pupil at Dadacha Basa primary school says that she collected young gazelle on December 2015.
On a normal occasion, after hearing the footsteps, the gazelle wakes up and starts jumping from one side to the other, before finally resting at the door. It turns out, the girl India Nuru is carrying rice on the sufuria to feed the gazelle.
“It is time to feed my gazelle,” India says.
India remembers, “We were playing with my colleagues and came across the young gazelle on the way walking. She looked lost because was just alone. The gazelle also looked like she was struggling to locate her mother who was nowhere to be seen. I felt touched and took her home.”
Her father, Nuru Sine also remembers how her daughter came home with a young gazelle one evening. “It was in the evening when India came with a young gazelle. She kept clutching at gazelle and did not want anyone to take away from her,” says the father.
He adds that they only took the gazelle from her after she felt asleep. The father says that even the sleep did not come easy for India on that day: “On any normal day, India would be asleep by 8pm. But on this particular day, she slept past midnight. I think having the young gazelle excited her so much that sleep didn’t come easy.”
Once at home, they started feeding the young gazelle on milk. The father says the gazelle looked hungry and took milk without a problem-although just a little.
He says her daughter has been very protective of the gazelle all the time. And the gazelle has grown being close to India.
“The gazelle knows only my daughter, and takes off when any other person moves close to her. She is the only one who feeds the gazelle,” her father confirms.
“It has not been an easy task to feed the gazelle. There are times she cannot get enough milk when it is dry and animals no longer produce enough milk as a result of drought.”
They say the gazelle is now used to the home even when it is released just move around and come back.
“The first time my gazelle was released, l feared she would disappear into the forest. Instead, she wondered around and came back to her house,” says India.
Asked about the need to have a permit from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) , India’s father says “This was a pure rescue mission. Initially, we thought the mother will come looking for her, but she did not.”
India who wants to be a teacher in future explains: “If l did not carry her home that day, l know other wild animals would have eaten her. I don’t not regret what l did to rescue her.”
The gazelle has become India’s pet and an admiration to many children in her village.
