Tuesday 26 June 2012

Six lions killed after they strayed from Nairobi National park

Second incident in 2 months
June 2012. Six lions have been speared to death by residents of a Nairobi suburb after the wandered out of the Nairobi National Park and hilled four goats. This follows an incident in May when a lioness was killed and 5 other lions were removed from a Nairobi suburb.
The retaliatory killing of two adult lionesses, two sub adults and two cubs on the outskirts of Nairobi occurred after the carnivores had invaded a boma and killed four goats. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers responded to a community report on the lions which had strayed from Nairobi National Park and spent the night attempting to deal with the problem.
KWS dispatched rangers and a veterinary capture team to search for the lions. Unfortunately, whilst they were searching for the lions, the animals were killed by a mob.
Nairobi National Park is seasonal park and during rainy seasons, the resident herbivores often stray out of the park and lions often follow them. While outside the park, the lions occasionally kill livestock from community bomas.
Working to reduce human/wildlife conflict
However, KWS works with community human wildlife conflict resolution committees and elders in ensuring that people and their property are protected from destruction by wildlife in the same way that wildlife is protected.
The killing is a big loss to the economy given that lions enjoy an iconic status as a big draw for tourists who visit Kenya.
100 lions killed every year
Kenya has been losing 100 lions a year for the past seven years, leaving the country with just 2000 of its famous big cats. Conservationists have blamed habitat destruction, disease and conflict with humans for the lion population decline.
KWS would like to strongly discourage the public any killing of lions and other wildlife as this is criminal. Instead, communities should alert KWS officers nearest to them about any problem animals. Besides KWS offices spread across the country, the public can report to 24-hour hotlines 0728331981, 0736506052 and 0770296352.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/nairobi-lions-killed.html#cr

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