Human Conflict With Wild Animals Worsens, 10 Lions Killed In Kenya

Ten lions have been killed in southern Kenya in the past two weeks, including six on Saturday last week, as conflicts between humans and wildlife escalate in the region escalate, according to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

This is the "unremarkably large number of lions killed all at once," a KWS spokesman told CNN, as reported on May 15.

This came after conservation experts announced the killing of one of Africa's oldest lions, Loonkiito, at the age of 19 at the beginning of last week.

Loonkiito came out of the protected area and entered the livestock farm because of the "fabrication", later killed by livestock owners, according to the Lion Guardians conservation organization.

The organization says the end of drought is usually marked by an increase in conflict between humans and lions, as wild prey becomes more difficult to hunt and livestock owners become "very alert" after losing so many animals.

Kenya has experienced its worst drought in 40 years.

Six lions that died on Saturday last week killed 11 goats and one dog, KWS said in a press release.

The lions are part of the Amboseli National Park in Kajiado, a UNESCO biosphere heritage site near Mount Kilimanjaro, according to the United Nations.

Related to that, KWS held a meeting on Saturday last week which was attended by local residents and government officials to discuss recent killings.

"Discussions focus on exploring ways to minimize the risk of conflict between humans and wildlife, including developing an early warning system to warn the public about the presence of wildlife around them," KWS said.

"Further discussion centers on a broader picture to explore wildlife conflicts in the context of people's livelihoods and the division of benefits towards harmonious coexistence in the open landscape of society and wildlife," added KWS.

Citing Reuters, residents around the nature reserve in Kenya often complain that lions and other carnivores kill livestock and, pets because humans and wildlife compete for space and resources.

It is known, Amboseli National Park, which has an area of 39,206 hectares, is home to some of the most valuable hunted animals, including elephants, Dogs, bulls and giraffes.