2023-05-12 15:46:51
Kenya
One of the oldest lions in the world has been killed
A 19-year-old lion attempted to prey on cattle near Amboseli Park in southern Kenya. He was shot by Maasai herders.
Published
Loonkito was “an old lion who struggled to feed himself.”
Twitter/Screenshot
One of the oldest lions living in the wild in Africa, the continent where almost all of the world’s population of this feline lives, has been killed by Maasai herders in Kenya, conservation organizations announced on Friday. ‘environment.
“Legendary Cat Warrior”
African lions typically have a lifespan of 12 to 18 years in the wild, according to South African conservation group Cats for Africa. KWS described Loonkito in 2021 as a “legendary feline warrior”, having defended his territory for more than a decade.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Loonkito (2004-2023), the oldest male lion in our ecosystem and possibly in Africa,” Kenya’s Lion Guardians said on his Facebook page, calling it a “symbol of resilience and coexistence.”
“We need to make people aware”
About 2,500 lions live in Kenya, according to the country’s first-ever national wildlife census conducted in 2021. Wildlife incursions into populated areas have increased in recent years in the East African country, as that urban development has reduced their areas of settlement and migration. “We have to educate people to find a way to alert us so that we can bring the animals back to the parks,” said Paul Jinaro.
In July, a lion escaped from Nairobi National Park caused panic in a southern district of the capital. He had been put to sleep by rangers from the park where they had brought him. The park is located seven kilometers from the center of Nairobi and occasionally animals escape and find themselves roaming the metropolis of over four million people.
In December 2019, a lion mauled a man to death just outside the park, while in March 2016 another such feline was shot following attacking and injuring a nearby resident.
(AFP)
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