KENYA: A wild lion believed to be one of the world’s oldest died after being speared by herders, authorities in Kenya said.
According to BBC, Loonkiito died in Olkelunyiet village on Wednesday night after preying on livestock. The Amboseli National Park is in southern Kenya. Lion Guardians, Conservation group said it was “the oldest lion in their ecosystem and possibly in Africa. Most lions live to around 13 years in the wild.
According to World Wildlife, almost all lions live in Africa with a small population in India. Kenya Wildlife Service spokesperson Paul Jinaro said that the lion was frail and old and wandered into the village from the park for food.
Jinaro couldn’t confirm if it was the oldest African lion but noted it was “old.”
The Maasai-operated Lion Guardians group worked to conserve the lion population in Amboseli National Park. It said the end of drought was “habitually marked by the uptick in human-lion conflict” as “wild prey recover and become difficult to hunt.”
It said, “In desperation, lions often turn to take livestock.”
It said the killing of Loonkiito was a “tough circumstance for both sides, the citizens and the lion,” and eulogised him as “a symbol of coexistence and resilience.”
Paula Kahumbu, chief executive officer of WildlifeDirect, said she was pained by the killing of a lion and for measures to protect wildlife in Africa.
Kahumbu said, “This is the breaking point for human-wildlife issues. We need to do more as a country to protect lions facing extinction.”
The average lifespan of a lion is about 13 years in the wild; however, they can live much longer in captivity.
