Please Note: The following photos depict graphic animal cruelty and may be upsetting to some readers.
Kenya is a country known to invest millions of dollars into protecting its wildlife, but on Wednesday, they did something that many will not agree with.
One of Kenya’s most famous lions named Mohawk managed to escape from Nairobi National Park on Monday, and on Wednesday he posed an immediate threat to human life.
According to the Washington Post, the 13-year-old lion escaped from the park after being forced out in a territorial dispute with another lion, and looking for another place to roam, he slipped through an unfenced portion of the park.
“Mohawk did not appear to be concerned about all the cars behind him and he continued to walk at a leisurely pace as he enjoyed the freshness of the morning,” Gareth Jones wrote in the Star newspaper.
A group of men decided to surround Mohawk in the town of Isinya, 20 miles from Nairobi, and they began taunting him- taking pictures and throwing rocks at him. Finally, Mohawk naturally raised his paw and thrashed one of the men.
Kenya Wildlife Services did not have any tranquilizers on them, so they immediately shot the lion in his right leg.
Aisha Tande, a Nairobi resident says, “I am outraged, disgusted and grossly disappointed with Kenya Wildlife Services.”
Sadly, the majestic animal passed away.
“We lost one of our best lions,” said Nelly Palmeris, a senior park warden at Nairobi National Park.
The park claims that, “When it injured that person, it became imminent to us that it could lead to a worse situation and it had to be brought down,” says Paul Gathitu, Kenya Wildlife Services spokesman.
“The decision taken earlier today to put him down was not taken lightly,” South African National Parks tweeted. “He is clearly a troublesome lion and could be a danger to humans,” Reynold Thakhuli, a spokesman for South African National Parks, told the Agence France-Presse.
But being such a vulnerable species, this shooting has enraged many people and leaves us all extremely saddened.
Are you outraged at the shooting of this lion? Let us know in the comments.
[Featured Image Credit: Reuters]
World Is Outraged After Rangers Kill Mohawk, One Of Kenya’s Most Famous Lions is an article from: LifeDaily