After herders killed ‘one of the world’s oldest lions,’ tributes have poured in. Loonkiito died at the ripe old age of 19 – the average age of lions in the wild is 13 years.
The lion, named Loonkiito, came from the Amboseli-tsavo ecosystem in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park – an area maintained by a non-profit umbrella organization inside the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust that cares after ‘the people, wildlife, and habitats of the ecosystem’.
Lion Guardians, a conservation organization dedicated to researching and implementing long-term solutions for people and lions to coexist, took to Instagram on Wednesday, May 10 to deliver the sad news of Loonkiito’s death and to tell how the huge cat died.
The post by Lion Guardians reads: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Loonkiito (2004 – 2023), the oldest male lion in our ecosystem and possibly in Africa.
“He died yesterday, on the 10th of May 2023 at 19 years old. He was a symbol of resilience and coexistence.
“We at Lion Guardians feel privileged to have borne witness to his life and his legacy.”
Loonkiito died as a result of a ‘uptick in human-lion conflict’ prompted by the conclusion of a drought, according to Lion Guardians.
It noted that a drought can make it difficult for lions to pursue wild prey, so lions ‘frequently turn to take cattle’ in despair.
“Because livestock owners lost so many of their animals due to the drought, they are especially vigilant in watching over their remaining animals,” the organization writes. “Unfortunately, Loonkiito got caught up in this dynamic because he was starving and jumped into a corral in the middle of the night.”
Lions Guardians vows to remember the 19-year-old lion for his “resilience and coexistence,” noting that the situation was “tough for both sides (the village and Loonkiito).”
The last line in its Instagram post; In the following weeks and months, we hope to share the extraordinary story of Loonkiito’s life with the world.
“This is the breaking point for human-wildlife conflict,” wildlife conservationist Paula Kahumbu told the BBC. “We need to do more as a country to preserve lions, which are on the verge of extinction.”
