One of Africa’s oldest wild lions, the world’s largest population, has been killed by Maasai herders in Kenya, environmental groups announced yesterday.
A 19-year-old male lion, Lunkito, was killed by a spear after entering a cattle ranch near Amboseli Park in the south of the country, Kenya’s Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Jinaro told Agence France-Presse (KWS. ).
“It’s an old lion struggling to feed itself, and cattle are easy prey. A normal lion would have gone in search of food in the forest, inside the park,” Ginaro explained.
KWS 2021 described Lunkito as a “legendary feline warrior” who has defended his territory for more than a decade.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the death of Lunkito (2004-2023), the oldest male lion in our environment and in Africa,” the Lion Guardians of Kenya wrote on its Facebook page. “A Symbol of Resistance and Coexistence”.
African lions typically have a lifespan of 12 to 18 years in the wild, according to South African conservation group Cats for Africa.
According to the country’s first national wildlife census conducted in 2021, Kenya is home to about 2,500 lions.
Wildlife encroachment into populated areas has increased in recent years in this East African country, as urban development reduces their ‘habitat’ and the areas they migrate to.
“We need to educate people and find a way for them to alert us so we can bring the animals back into the parks,” Ginaro said.
In July, a lion escaped from the Nairobi National Park, located seven kilometers from the city center, causing panic in an area south of the Kenyan capital. The rangers then took him to the park and put him to sleep.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”