The carrying capacity for lions at the Nairobi National Park is 40.
This was revealed on Thursday last week by Daniel Muteti, an ecologist at the park.
Muteti studies the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.
“We do not count lions less than one year,” Muteti said.
The gazetted management plan 2020-2030 shows that there are more than 45 lions among other large carnivores such as leopards, cheetah, and hyenas.
Muteti said there are natural phenomena that help to reduce the population of lions at the park.
A territorial fight, for instance, helps to balance the equilibrium, he said.
Muteti cited an example whereby a dominant male killed two brothers two years ago.
The park was gazetted in 1946 as Kenya's first national park through proclamation No. 48 of December 16.
It covers 117 kilometers square and is situated 10km south of Nairobi City centre.
The park was initially 29,000 acres but some 2,000 acres more have been added after the national government donated what used to be a sheep and goats research facility.
This brings the total to 31,000 acres.
The park borders Kajiado and Machakos counties to the south and Machakos to the east and south-east.
In recent years, the big cats have been sneaking from the park and moving into settled areas.
The park has partial electric fencing. It is not entirely sealed off to allow for migration of animals.
In 2012, six lions were killed by villagers after they strayed into their farms near Kitengela and killed animals.
In 2016, a lion wandered out before returning unharmed.
KWS said the cat had been spotted in Karen.
“It came back to the park near Multimedia University and a report was made at 10 o’clock,” said Paul Gathitu, the then KWS head of corporate communications.
In 2019, another lion escaped from the park before killing a herdsman at the park.
Eighteen-year-old Weldon Kirui was mauled as his seven colleagues watched, scared.
In 2021, a lion wandered outside the Nairobi National Park before it was recaptured.
The big cat was found stuck in a corridor in Ongata Rongai near Tuskys.
KWS officers and police were forced to camp in the area, chasing a crowd that tried to catch a glimpse of the lion.
A section of experts says the shrinking size of the park has diminished prey, forcing lions to look for easy prey outside the park such as sheep, goats and cows.
