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Kenya: Four Lions Poisoned in Mwatate Ranch

By Raphael Mwadime


Four lions have been poisoned by herders at Mramba Ranch, Mwatate.

The four, one male and a female and two cubs, were found dead on Tuesday.

"This is one of the cherished prides. The pride was always friendly. It is a shame that tourists in Lumo are now seeing cattle despite paying park fees to the Lumo community sanctuary management," reads a message sent to the Star by a source.

"Not only do we mourn the loss of the endangered lions but also other wildlife that might come into contact with the poisoned lions,"

Grazing at the sanctuary has affected tourism, which the community depends on.

Out of the 5,000 shareholders of Lumo, only 25 people own cattle.

Environment at the sanctuary has been degraded by overgrazing, which has forced wildlife to migrate.

Mramba Ranch is inside Lumo community sanctuary, where four ranches were joined together to form a conservancy.

Yesterday, one of the cattle owners, Stephen Ngure, condemned the poisoning.

"I heard that one cow had been killed by the lions. We have a new law that ensures compensation of animals killed by wildlife. The cattle owners ought to have followed the law instead of poisoning the lions. This is a very big loss to conservation," Ngure told the Star on the phone.