‘I Dreamed of Africa’ author Kuki Gallmann shot and wounded in attack in Kenya

Kuki Gallmann, the environmentalist and author of the bestselling autobiography “I Dreamed of Africa,” was shot and severely injured in an attack at the conservation park she owns in Kenya.

The BBC reports that Gallmann, 73, was airlifted to a hospital in Nairobi after being shot in the stomach in an ambush-style attack at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy in central Kenya. She underwent surgery and is in stable but critical condition.

The shooting may have been the work of herders affected by a drought, who have taken to invading private property in order to graze their cattle, the Washington Post reports. The movement of cattle has become politicized, some say, in the lead-up to an August election. Resort buildings on Gallmann’s Laikipia Nature Conservancy were burned in March, and another property owner has been killed.

No arrests have been made in Gallmann’s shooting, but two possible suspects were killed by security guards, and a gun that may have been used to shoot her has been recovered.

The daughter of Italian mountaineer and novelist Cino Boccazzi, Gallmann moved to Kenya in 1972 with her family. She elected to stay in the country even after her husband was killed in a car accident in 1981 and her teenage son died after being bitten by a snake three years later.

She made her literary debut in 1991 with the memoir “I Dreamed of Africa,” which was adapted into a movie in 2000 starring Kim Basinger as Gallmann.

Gallmann was driving with Kenya Wildlife Service rangers, assessing the damage caused by the arson, when she was shot.

Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of Kenya, condemned the shooting in a statement.

“Politicians encouraging invasions of privately-owned property or attacks on individuals can expect strong deterrent action in terms of the law,” he said.