Escaped Lion Eats Man Outside Safari Park, Remains on the Loose

newsweek.com

Dec 10, 2019 10:55 AM

Wildlife officials in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi are searching for a stray lion that reportedly mauled a man to death in recent days outside a national park.

With the predator on the loose, the Kenya Wildlife Service has urged residents to avoid walking at night until it is captured, Kenyans.co.ke reported. The remains of the victim, named Rono Kipkirui Simion, were found Monday near Ongata Rongai, according to Daily Nation.

The victim's head and arm were found by an unnamed passerby, while a lion had also been spotted in the nearby area, local media reported.

In a statement on Monday, the Kenya Wildlife Service said: "KWS is saddened by the tragic death of a gentleman who was killed by a lion on the southern periphery outside Nairobi National Park.

"Our team of rangers including a vet are searching for the lion to locate, dart and remove it from there. We are reaching out to the family of the deceased with a view to visiting and consoling with them. KWS urges members of the public to stay calm and not to venture out at night."

Nairobi National Park is located roughly four miles from the city center and is home to a variety of animals, including large predators such as lions, leopards, hyena and cheetah. It's known for wide open grass plains set to a backdrop of skyscrapers, according to the park website.

It is currently believed the victim encountered the lion while walking home after meeting friends on Friday evening, sometime after 10 p.m. He failed to return to work on Sunday.

The victim was described as "middle-aged" by Daily Nation.The man's ID, seen in a KTN News video segment, showed him to be 40 years old and from the town of Narok.

The park uses electric fencing in an attempt to keep animals inside but it is not completely sealed, the Daily Monitor reported, citing Agence France-Presse (AFP). The outlet reported there were several lion escapes throughout 2016, with some venturing into local towns.

At the time, the KWS confirmed a 63-year-old man was injured by a lion that left the confines of the Nairobi park and wandered onto a roadway. The man was hospitalized in a stable condition.

"People were there, hooting their horns, taking selfies and all that, and the lion got agitated," said KWS spokesperson Paul Udoto, Deutsche Welle reported. "The lion is safely back, but our teams are on the ground in case there are any others around that have not been spotted."

A YouTube video showed the big cat roaming in traffic. Conservationists say encounters are rising due to a loss of the lion's habitat. "If there is no prey or there isn't enough prey in the park the animals may decide to wander out," Kenyan expert Ali Kaka told the BBC.

According to Kenyans.co.ke, residents have complained that lions have killed their livestock. Kenya Wildlife Service did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.