19-year-old Luunkiito attacked cattle and was speared by herders
A wild male lion, considered one of the oldest representatives of its species in the world, was killed by herders near Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, the BBC reported.
Luunkiito, 19, was stabbed with spears after attacking cattle for food. Conservation group Lion Guardians said the slain lion was the oldest in the Kenyan ecosystem and possibly in all of Africa, as lions typically live around 13 years in the wild.
Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Jinaro told the BBC that Luunkiito was old and infirm and had probably left the national park to forage in the village.
Conservationists have called for stricter measures to protect Kenya’s wildlife and lion population.
“This is the tipping point for human-wildlife conflict and we must do more as a country to conserve lions that are facing extinction,” said Paula Kahumbu, conservationist and chief executive of WildlifeDirect.
Photo: LION GUARDIANS/FACEBOOK
