Kenya Wildlife Service says a search for the lion is on, asks residents to inform authorities if they sight the beast
Image: FILE
A lion that mauled a man in Rongai on Monday must have been pursuing prey, an expert has said.
Lion expert Jirmo Tuqa on Thursday said herbivores always move from the Nairobi Nationa Park to Kitengela and Kapiti plains whenever the park is wet.
“The lions must have been following them (herbivores) as they migrated to Kajiado and Amboseli sides,” Tuqa told the Star on the phone.
Authorities have asked residents to avoid walking at night, saying the animal was still on the loose.
The Nairobi National Park is partly ringed by an electric fence. It is not entirely sealed off to allow for the traditional migration of animals.
The only park in the world in a city is home to lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, gazelles and buffalos among other wildlife. The animals roam the park against the backdrop of distant skyscrapers.
Tuqa said the Monday tragedy was an isolated case. “Maybe the lion is old or it has not eaten anything for a long time.”
Kenya Wildlife Service acting head of communication Ngugi Gecaga agreed with Tuqa's explanation saying most ungulates move to dry areas such as Kitengela and Kapiti whenever the park is wet.
Gecaga said the movement of ungulates is to ensure that their hoofs do not contract diseases as a result of wet weather conditions.
“Lions will follow them as they are the food. We have never had such an attack in that area," Gecaga said.
He said the victim's name is Simon Rono and not Weldon Kirui as earlier communicated. Rono was mauled by the lion as his seven colleagues watched scared.
Rono was married to Sharon Chelagat and they had three children.
Gecaga said the search for the lion was on. He said rangers were combing the area to locate the lion.
On Tuesday, Gecaga said a lion trap that had been set in the location yielded nothing. Gecaga said another team of rangers and veterinarians were combing the area for the beasts and that big cats could have sneaked out of the park.
He asked the public to be on the lookout and inform the authorities if they see the lions. Body parts of the victim were found on Monday scattered on the ground.
Only his head and arm remained at the scene.
“Locals had said they had sighted the lion near Tuala Bridge but the team did not find the footprints and droppings when the went there,” Gecaga told the Star on Thursday.
Gecaga said the male beast could be hiding as their cardinal rule does not allow them to eat humans. “We appeal to residents not to walk at night. Our idea is to locate it, dart and put it in a cage before deciding where it will be taken,” he said.
Gecaga said the family of the victim had been contacted. He said KWS will support the family in burial arrangements.
Already, a local conservation NGO-WildlifeDirect-has started raising funds for the widow of the victim. The Ngo said the move is aimed at removing the sting that a community feels about wildlife when such tragic incidents occur.
edited by p.obuya