Panic gripped Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, after the Kenya Wildlife Service disclosed that six lions have escaped from the expansive Nairobi National Park.
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The Standard newspaper said the lions were spotted roaming the Langata area in the middle of the night, prompting the wildlife service to send in rangers.
“Lions are risky wild animals”.
The BBC’s Abdinoor Aden in Nairobi says the park is separated by a main road from densely populated neighbourhoods in the south of the city. Poachers have also taken their toll on the animal population, whose numbers have fallen drastically.
Nairobi National Park is home to many species of wildlife including endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife.
At least two lionesses are reported to have left the park late on Thursday, but local media reported that up to six lions could be on the loose.
It is not the first time lions have prowled into town.
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Communications officer Paul Udoto said the animals have boundaries but on Friday roamed to a settlement area in Lang’ata along the Southern bypass. “Anyone with information about them should share it with us immediately”. Conservationists have opposed the railway line, saying it will further damage wildlife habitat.
