10 Lions Killed By Herders In Kenya As Human-Animal Conflict Escalates

Loonkiito, one of Kenya's oldest lions aged 19, was among the lions killed last week. It had ventured out of a protected area in search of food.

Ten lions, including one of the country's oldest, were killed in a week in Kenya due to human-animal conflict, leading to the government expressing concern, according to a report in CNN. Six of these lions were killed on Saturday alone, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said. This is "an unusually large number of lions to be killed at one go," a spokesperson of the organisation told the outlet. The six lions had killed 11 goats and one dog, as per a press release by KWS.

Loonkiito, one of Kenya's oldest lions aged 19, had ventured out of a protected area and into a livestock pen in search of food and was killed by a livestock owner, conservation organisation Lion Guardian told CNN.

This happened due to end of drought since wild prey becomes harder to hunt. The livestock owners are also extra vigilant at this time to avoid losing animals.

Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.