The lions were killed due to end of drought when it becomes harder to hunt.
Ten lions, including one of the country’s oldest, were killed in a week in Kenya due to human-animal conflict, leading to the government expressing concern, according to a report in CNN. Six of these lions were killed on Saturday alone, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said. This is “an unusually large number of lions to be killed at one go,” a spokesperson of the organisation told the outlet. The six lions had killed 11 goats and one dog, as per a press release by KWS.
Loonkiito, one of Kenya’s oldest lions aged 19, had ventured out of a protected area and into a livestock pen in search of food and was killed by a livestock owner, conservation organisation Lion Guardian told CNN.
This happened due to end of drought since wild prey becomes harder to hunt. The livestock owners are also extra vigilant at this time to avoid losing animals.
Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.
KWS hosted a meeting on Saturday, which was attended by locals and government officials, to discuss the recent killings.
“The discussions centered on exploring ways to minimise the risk of human-wildlife conflict, including developing early warning systems to alert communities to the presence of wildlife in their vicinity,” the organisation said.
“Further discussions centered on the wider picture of exploring human-wildlife conflict in the context of community livelihoods and benefit sharing towards a harmonious coexistence in the open community and wildlife landscapes,” it added.
Meanwhile, United Nations said the lions that were killed on Saturday were part of Kajiado County’s Amboseli ecosystem, a UNESCO biosphere reserve site near Mount Kilimanjaro.