Shepherds kill Africa's oldest free-ranging lion

Some shepherds killed this Wednesday in southern Kenya the oldest lion in the wild in Africa, 19 years old and baptized Loonkito, after the animal entered a community to attack domestic livestock, the conservation NGO Big Life reported this Friday. Foundation.

“The herders are on high alert to protect the few animals that have survived a recent severe drought,” explained the coordinator of the Big Life Foundation's compensation programs for damage to lions and other large predators, Daniel Sampu, in statements collected by the local media.

According to a witness to the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation, the lion entered a community near Amboseli National Park (south) this Wednesday at around 8:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. GMT) and the herders they killed it with spears before it could attack domestic cattle. “(The lion) was weak due to his old age and succumbed to spear wounds to the head,” the witness said.

Loonkito was a male lion known for his advanced age, 19 years, well above the average lifespan of lions of his sex, which is around 11 years. There are currently some 30,000 lions left in Africa, and their populations continue to decline, according to the latest data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Between 1993 and 2014, lion populations fell by 43%, mainly due to the loss of their habitats and conflicts between these animals and communities, which sometimes poison or attack cats to protect their livestock. lamented the IUCN.

endangered species

Lions came close to extinction in southern Kenya at the turn of this century, but the efforts of local communities, rangers and conservation NGOs meant that lion populations in Amboseli National Park and surrounding wildlife reserves of lions multiplied by six between 2004 and 2020.

To avoid conflicts between lions and humans, special corrals have been built to protect Maasai cows from lion attacks, financial compensation is given to shepherds who have lost their cattle because of these cats, and involvement has been communities in tourism sector activities to improve their economies.