- At least three villagers are reported
to have been killed in eastern Kenya by lions besieging villages in an
attempt to find their offspring.
-
- Senior politicians in the Garissa region
said the attacks began after a Somali militia near the border with Kenya
stole three cubs.
-
- Witnesses claim a pride of 15 lions attacked
homes in Liboi and Kulan in the Garissa district on Sunday night, while
villagers were asleep. Police reported that at least three people died
and a further two were seriously injured.
-
- The attack follows a series of incidents
over the past two weeks in which herdsmen in Garissa have been attacked
by lions. One man was mauled to death as he fetched water from a well.
In a similar attack, a pride of 10 lions encircled villagers retrieving
water at a well in Liboi, before police intervened.
-
- Lions even invaded the local police station,
allegedly forcing armed officers to run away in terror. As well as targeting
humans, the lions have killed about 50 goats and more than a dozen cows.
-
- Most of the attacks have been on herdsmen
in the countryside. But on one occasion the lions wandered into the main
town of Liboi, 10 miles from the Somali border. Police officers fired into
the air as people ran for safety.
-
- Abdullahi Rage, the area chief, said
deaths were only just starting to be confirmed. Some of the victims were
initially reported as missing, but their bodies were later discovered in
the bush. Mr Rage said 23 lions had been spotted in the area.
-
- Local politicians have called on the
Kenyan government to help protect residents from the lions and to compensate
the families of the victims. They have also suggested cross-border meetings
with Somali community leaders in an attempt to secure the release of the
cubs and prevent further kidnappings.
-
- Officials from the Kenya Wildlife Service
have twice tried to retrieve the cubs from the Somali militiamen. But their
attempts at negotiation have been rebuffed. It is claimed the militiamen
demanded a ransom for the return of the cubs.
-
- According to pastoralists who witnessed
the kidnapping, soldiers belonging to the Somalia Patriotic Movement, based
in the Somali town of Dobley 20 miles from the border, took the cubs from
a lioness two weeks ago. They fired several shots into the air as the other
lions in the pride charged at them.
-
- While attacks have been documented in
Kenya it is not yet known how many people have been killed by the lions
within Somalia.
-
- The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said
it suspected the militia men were paid to steal the cubs, which were then
sold at markets in Somalia. But, the KWS, which has been criticised for
not containing the lions, disputed the number of people who had died. A
spokesman for the organisation claimed that only one person had so far
been killed. "We have sent our people on to the ground. If the lions
are a threat, appropriate action will be taken," said Gichuki Kabukuru
of the KWS.
-
- At least three villagers are reported
to have been killed in eastern Kenya by lions besieging villages in an
attempt to find their offspring.
-
- Senior politicians in the Garissa region
said the attacks began after a Somali militia near the border with Kenya
stole three cubs.
-
- Witnesses claim a pride of 15 lions attacked
homes in Liboi and Kulan in the Garissa district on Sunday night, while
villagers were asleep. Police reported that at least three people died
and a further two were seriously injured.
-
- The attack follows a series of incidents
over the past two weeks in which herdsmen in Garissa have been attacked
by lions. One man was mauled to death as he fetched water from a well.
In a similar attack, a pride of 10 lions encircled villagers retrieving
water at a well in Liboi, before police intervened.
-
- Lions even invaded the local police station,
allegedly forcing armed officers to run away in terror. As well as targeting
humans, the lions have killed about 50 goats and more than a dozen cows.
-
- Most of the attacks have been on herdsmen
in the countryside. But on one occasion the lions wandered into the main
town of Liboi, 10 miles from the Somali border. Police officers fired into
the air as people ran for safety.
-
- Abdullahi Rage, the area chief, said
deaths were only just starting to be confirmed. Some of the victims were
initially reported as missing, but their bodies were later discovered in
the bush. Mr Rage said 23 lions had been spotted in the area.
-
- Local politicians have called on the
Kenyan government to help protect residents from the lions and to compensate
the families of the victims. They have also suggested cross-border meetings
with Somali community leaders in an attempt to secure the release of the
cubs and prevent further kidnappings.
-
- Officials from the Kenya Wildlife Service
have twice tried to retrieve the cubs from the Somali militiamen. But their
attempts at negotiation have been rebuffed. It is claimed the militiamen
demanded a ransom for the return of the cubs.
-
- According to pastoralists who witnessed
the kidnapping, soldiers belonging to the Somalia Patriotic Movement, based
in the Somali town of Dobley 20 miles from the border, took the cubs from
a lioness two weeks ago. They fired several shots into the air as the other
lions in the pride charged at them.
-
- While attacks have been documented in
Kenya it is not yet known how many people have been killed by the lions
within Somalia.
-
- The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said
it suspected the militia men were paid to steal the cubs, which were then
sold at markets in Somalia. But, the KWS, which has been criticised for
not containing the lions, disputed the number of people who had died. A
spokesman for the organisation claimed that only one person had so far
been killed. "We have sent our people on to the ground. If the lions
are a threat, appropriate action will be taken," said Gichuki Kabukuru
of the KWS.
-
- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article1093528.ece
|
