Lion mauls man at Nairobi National Park

A lion. The man had entered the park to graze his livestock, police said. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

A herder was mauled by lions at the Nairobi National Park early Monday morning as he was grazing his cattle.

The man identified as Weldon Kiirui, according to police, was in the company of five others who sneaked into the park on Sunday night through the Bangladesh area.

PARTS

Langata police chief Elija Maina said two lions preyed on the 18-year-old man and only a few body parts remained at the scene.

“When the lions attacked them, they screamed for help and the Kenya Wildlife Services rangers rushed to rescue them but by the time they arrived, one of them had already been killed,” Mr Maina said.

After the incident, the herders were forced out of the park together with their cattle.

At sunrise though, the herders and other members of the community gathered at the park and threatened to kill all the lions.

Last year, several lions strayed from the park and attacked pedestrians in parts of Langata, forcing rangers to kill one of them in March.