KWS captures lion after a one month search- Photos

Members of the public view a male lion that was captured in Hellsgate National Park in Naivasha by KWS officers after been on the loose for a couple of weeks.

Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) rangers have captured a male lion from Hellsgate National Park in Naivasha after a one month search.

It is suspected that the animal is part of a pack of lions that escaped from Lake Nakuru National Park a couple of months ago and have been terrorising residents of nearby villages.

The capture comes barely a fortnight after the lions attacked and killed three herds of cattle in Narasha area and injured six others.

The lions are suspected to have also killed tens of livestock in Eburru, Soysambu and Moi Ndabi areas leaving area residents in fear.

In the latest incident, KWS officers were tipped by members of the public who had spotted the lion before it was captured.

A herder Moses Ole Lekopor said that they had spotted the lion on two different occasions loitering near their manyattas which are located next to the park.

He said that the lions had left them in fear as they roared at night near their homes targeting their livestock.

“We are happy that KWS has managed to capture one of the lions and we hope that the others will be seized as we are living in fear,” he said.

Earlier, the rangers had captured two leopards in Maraigushu area of Naivasha and driven them back to the national park.

The leopards are suspected to have killed tens of goats and sheep in the village before traps were laid to capture them.

An elder in the village Joshua Gitau said that there were tens of wild animals in the area which had killed and maimed livestock.

Gitau praised the move to capture the two leopards but challenged KWS to address the issue of compensation adding that many families had been affected by the wildlife attacks.

“We have lost tens of livestock to leopards attack but no single family has been compensated and its time KWS addressed this,” he said.

A senior KWS officer who is not authorized to speak to the press confirmed the capture of the lion saying that it had been relocated back to Lake Nakuru National Park.

“We are in the process of tracking the other lions which have been spotted around Narasha area while the two leopards were released back to Hellsgate National Park,” said the officer.