According to Kenyan officials, a wild male lion thought to be one of the world’s oldest died after being speared by herders.
Loonkiito, 19, died on Wednesday night in Olkelunyiet village after preying on animals.
In southern Kenya, the settlement borders Amboseli National Park.
He was described as “the oldest male lion in our ecosystem and possibly in Africa” by the conservation organization Lion Guardians. In the wild, most lions live to be roughly 13 years old.
According to the World Wildlife Federation, almost all lions live in Africa, with a small population in India.
The Lion Guardians group, which is run by Maasai, seeks to protect the lion population in Amboseli National Park, and says the end of a drought is “habitually marked by an increase in human-lion conflict” as “wild prey recover and become more difficult to hunt.”
The slaughter of Loonkiito was described as a “tough situation for both sides, the people and the lion,” and he was hailed as a “symbol of resilience and coexistence.”
Animal conservationist and WildlifeDirect CEO Paula Kahumbu expressed sadness over the lion’s death and asked for actions to protect animals in the country.
A lion’s typical lifespan in the wild is about 13 years, though they can live much longer in captivity.
