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Escaped lions tracked by armed rangers in Kenyan capital
Escaped lions safely returned to Nairobi national park
(about 7 hours later)
Wildlife rangers are searching for two lions which escaped from Nairobi’s national park and wandered into highly populated areas of the Kenyan capital.
Several lions which strayed from the Nairobi national park, on the edge of Kenya’s capital, and wandered into a residential area, have returned, an official has said.
Kenya Wildlife Service issued an appeal “for help to get two lionesses that strayed from the Nairobi national park”. Armed rangers and KWS vets carrying dart guns scoured bush and agricultural land near Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums. “Lions are dangerous wild animals. Avoid provoking the lions by confronting them,” said a KWS spokesman, Paul Udoto.
Kenya’s Standard newspaper said the lions were spotted roaming the Langata area in the middle of the night, prompting the Kenya Wildlife Service to send in rangers.
Buffalo and rhino also roam in the national park, which is a few miles from the centre of Nairobi and spans 45 sq miles (117 sq km). At least two lionesses are reported to have left the park late on Thursday, but local media reported that up to six lions could be on the loose.
“Lioness and cub safely back into the park,” said Paul Udoto, a spokesman for the wildlife service. “Two others suspected to have sneaked back before dawn.”
It is not the first time lions have strayed into Nairobi. The big cats are under growing pressure as one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities creeps on to ancient migration routes and hunting grounds. Escaped lions are sometimes killed by livestock farmers protecting their herds.
“These are highly populated areas and that is why we are intensifying the search,” Udoto said. “Anyone with information about them should share it with us immediately.”
He added that the two lionesses were last seen near Nairobi’s Langata district. “Our teams, comprising veterinary officials, have been in Langata looking for the animals,” he said.
Related: Wildlife pushed back as city encroaches on Nairobi national park
Related: Wildlife pushed back as city encroaches on Nairobi national park
Lions are estimated to have declined in number by up to three-quarters since 1980, and to occupy less than a tenth of their historic range across Africa. Although Nairobi’s national park is fenced in on the city side, it is open elsewhere to allow the annual wildlife migration.
The wildlife service said its team had been dispatched to the residential area at about 3am local time and had urged members of the public not to try to capture the lions on their own.
But the land is under threat from increasing urbanisation and more intensive agriculture, and the routes used by migrating herds are growing narrower. Conservationists say wildlife protection is a low priority for officials in the city of 3.5 million people.
It is not the first time lions have escaped the park, a sprawling sanctuary for giraffes, zebras and other wild animals. Previous escapes have brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill, forcing bewildered commuters to dodge playful lions.
Kenya’s oldest national park is under pressure from the rapid growth of the capital over the last decade. Poachers have also taken their toll on the animal population, whose numbers have fallen dramatically.
Last year park officials also agreed to allow a new Chinese-built railway line to cut through the park. The line will be walled off and raised above the ground so animals can safely pass underneath.
