Kenya, ten lions killed in one week.Including Loonkito, one of the oldest in the world

Loonkito, a 19-year-old lion, was killed by shepherds near the Amboseli national park.His is not an isolated case.

• The killing of Loonkito, one of the oldest lions in the world, by some Kenyan shepherds has caused a stir.
• This is not an isolated case:near the Amboseli national park, ten lions were killed in one week.

Loonkito he was 19 years old.A remarkable age by the standards of the lions:if they live in the wild, their life expectancy usually does not exceed thirteen.It was certainly one of the oldest lions in all of Africa, perhaps the oldest – but this is impossible to say with certainty.Loonkito was frail, tired and, desperate from hunger, attacked livestock in Olkelunyiet village in southern Kenya, bordering Amboseli National Park. The shepherds killed him.

Drought worsens human-wildlife conflicts

Loonkito's story went around the world, due to his advanced age which made him unique.His killing was a “difficult situation for both parties, the people and the lion,” they comment the spokesmen of Lion Guardians, an organization that works precisely for the peaceful coexistence of these two species.And who remembers Loonkito as "a symbol of resilience and coexistence".

This, however, it was not an isolated incident.In fact, Kenya has just returned from a long and devastating wave of drought which affected the whole Horn of Africa (and what it would have been almost impossible without the climate crisis).And it is precisely at the end of the drought waves that conflicts between humans and wildlife become more frequent, because the lions cannot find food and go to look for it near the villages.As is happening these days.

Loonkito is one of ten lions killed in a week in Kenya 

The Kenya wildlife service (Kws), which deals with nature conservation in Kenya, let it be known within a week they were ten lions killed near the Amboseli national park.Six of which in a single day:they had preyed on a dog and eleven goats.

For this reason, the KWS has started working with the local population to understand how two needs can be balanced which, at the moment, appear irreconcilable for some:protect wildlife and ensure the safety and livelihoods of the population.One of the possible solutions could be to develop warning systems that come into operation as soon as a lion approaches a town.