Stray lion wandering in Kenyan town captured

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – A stray lion that had wandered out of the Nairobi National Park into the densely populated Ongata Rongai town located in Kenya’s Kajiado County has been captured and rescued by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) after residents raised an alarm.

In a statement, Kenya Wildlife Service confirmed the incident, saying: “This morning, a sub-adult male lion was spotted stuck between a concrete wall and iron sheets in Ongata Rongai area, Kajiado County. KWS promptly dispatched rangers and a veterinary team to the scene after being alerted by people.”

KWS added: “The lion was successfully darted, immobilized and safely transferred to the veterinary facility for observation and collaring before being released back to the park.”

In 2016, six lions escaped from the Nairobi National Park into Lang’ata, a residential suburb in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

In 2019, a man herding livestock was killed by an escaped lion.

Kenya’s Nairobi National Park is the only national park that exists within a capital city in the world. Established in 1946, it is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife with over 400 species, according to KWS.