The Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW) has strongly condemned the recent brutal killings of two lions, Mohawk and Lemek, in Kajiado County.
“We condemn both acts in the strongest terms possible because they were unwarranted, unnecessary and uncalled for especially because the factors that caused the lions to leave the park in the first place is due to human disturbance of their eco-systems as a result of the developments going on around the park,” Josphat Ngonyo, the body’s Executive Director said.
Ngonyo said there were better alternatives to handle the situation.
“In Mohawk’s case for example, sedating the animal and moving it back to the park was a viable solution. The lion was not a rogue that warranted such a painful and meaningless death,” he said.
He said that it is important for Kenyans to see the killings not only in terms of Mohawk and Lemek, but what it means for all our animals.
“The Nairobi National Park has a lion population of only 35 lions. In Kenya, lion numbers are estimated at below 2, 000. It is evident that losing our big cats painfully destabilizes these numbers,” he said.
“No other animal life should be lost due to a senseless reaction especially where the animal is not a threat to the population,” he added.
Ngonyo said such acts should never happen again.
He called on the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to carry out its duties with due diligence so that no other animal has to die so needlessly.