This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On Thursday morning, residents of Nairobi's Ongata Rongai area reported seeing lions near residential areas, prompting an immediate response from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
According to KWS, the lions were spotted walking past the Africa Nazarene University in the Tuala area, prompting concerns for public safety.
Recent Sightings
Subsequently, KWS has asked residents of Ongata Rongai to report any further sightings of the lions to their toll-free line 0800 597000.
“Thank you for the tag. Our team was notified about it. In the event of further sightings, please call our toll-free line 0800 597000,” KWS tweeted.
The lions were later spotted around the Karen C area in Nairobi, sparking fears of a potential attack.
It is unclear which path the lions took to sneak out of the park and access the residential areas.
This is not the first case of lions straying out of the national park in recent times.
In 2016, a pride of lions attacked and partly ate a man in Rongai on the outskirts of Nairobi, highlighting the risks associated with the animals roaming freely in residential areas.
Despite the park being largely bounded by an electric fence, the lions were able to escape and roam freely in the suburbs.
