Kenyan wildlife rangers yesterday shot dead a stray male lion on the outskirts of Nairobi after it attacked and injured a local resident, the Kenya Wildlife Service said.
A mob had gathered around the lion, forcing the rangers to shoot it to avert further injuries, a spokesman for the agency said.
“It had injured somebody. There was a crowd that had formed around it, so it was practically impossible to capture it the way we planned to,” Paul Udoto, communications manager for the wildlife service, told Reuters by phone.
The lion was the third in recent weeks to stray from Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the capital. No injuries were reported in the first case on February 19, but one man was injured in the second, on March 18.
The wildlife service managed to capture the stray lions in the first two incidents and returned them to protected areas.
Images on social media showed the lion in the latest incident walking in a grassy area next to the fence of the national park around 9am. They also showed residents gathering around the animal, some perched on the back of light trucks.
“The mob had formed and in the process somebody got injured, and by the time the veterinary and security teams got to the ground it was already beyond salvation,” Udoto said. “With that commotion we risked more injuries or even possible deaths.”
Nairobi National Park lies on the city limits, providing visitors views of lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and other wildlife against a backdrop of high-rise buildings.
Lions are occasionally spotted in the city close to the park after they find a way through fences that protect the built-up areas near the reserve.
Fugitive South African feline gets reprieve on death sentence
South African wildlife officials said yesterday they would re-assess a decision to euthanise a lion named Sylvester who has escaped twice from a national park and killed livestock.
Trackers are searching for the three-year-old animal after he slipped through a fence at the Karoo National Park in the south of the country at the weekend. The South Africa National Parks authority (SANParks) had announced it would put down the lion when he was caught - triggering outrage from some animal lovers.
But yesterday, it said euthanising Sylvester would only be considered if “the damage caused is massive and may include danger to people.”
“Some members of the public have been alarmed by reports that the animal will be euthanised, but no decision can be taken until the animal is safely captured,” it added.
The lion could instead be moved to another national park or private game reserve, or fencing could be improved to keep him inside the Karoo park.
On his previous escape last year, Sylvester killed 28 sheep, a cow and a kudu antelope during three weeks on the run in which he roamed for hundreds of kilometres.
He was finally captured after being shot by a tranquiliser dart fired from a helicopter in a hunt that cost 800,000 rand ($54,000).
Sylvester, who was fitted with a tracking collar after that breakout, escaped again on Sunday under an electric fence after heavy rains.
He has since killed one cow on a private farm, according to reports.
“Though the team of rangers sent out to search for the lion are experienced in tracking animals in the bush, the situation on the ground continues to pose a real danger of a possible ambush by the animal,” the park authorities said.
“The lion is currently roaming a remote mountainous area and it is hoped that it will not encounter humans.” Locals were warned to use extreme caution and not to approach him.
A stray male lion runs during a chase by a Kenya Wildlife Services ranger in the Isinya area of Kajiado county on the outskirts of Nairobi.
