Tanzania’s charity says still probing incident of lioness eating 3 kids

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) — A community-based charity working to foster human-lions coexistence Wednesday said it is still investigating the early August incident of a lioness eating three boys near Ngorongoro crater in northern Tanzania, and devising strategies to prevent such attacks in future.

Four brothers, aged between nine to 11 years and all primary school students at Orbalbal Ward in Tanzania’s northern Ngorongoro district, ventured out into the forest on Aug. 3 to trace their lost cattle only to face the wrath of a furious lioness. Three of them were mauled and eaten by the lioness, while the fourth one got injured but survived to tell the tragic incident.

Kiambwa Lekitony, the 11-year-old boy who survived the attack, had told Anadolu agency that his three brothers were mauled to death when they went into the forest.

The lions, known for their deafening roar, are endangered animals whose population in Africa has dwindled by 43% in the last two decades to 20,000, according to International Union for Nature Conservation (IUNC).

Kopelion’s statement, which suggests the lioness felt provoked in her sanctuary, said the boys were killed at night time by a lioness not darted with a VHF (Very High Frequency) collar.

Kopelion said: “Although the lioness was not collared, we believe she was part of the resident pride.”

According to the charity founder William Oleseki, the NGO is still investigating the circumstance that led to the children’s deaths.

“We wish to express our sincere condolences to the families and communities of the three boys whose lives were lost in a lion attack on Aug. 3,” the statement said.

The charity said it will team up with other stakeholders to devise strategies for preventing future lion attacks.

-Human-wildlife conflicts

As the human population increases and encroaches on wildlife habitats, conflicts between people and lions intensify.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO’s World Heritage site known for its dazzling landscapes, volcanic highlands, dense forests, vast plains, and wildlife.

Although the Maasai, a semi-nomadic ethnic group known for their gleaming and distended earlobes, have for decades lived harmoniously with wildlife, their relations with lions have always been hostile.

Maasai pastoralists, who are normally armed with swords and sticks to protect their cattle from predators, depend on cattle to meet all their basic needs.