A 14-year-old girl was killed in a lion attack near Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
According to a statement by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the incident occurred at a farmhouse next to Nairobi National Park. The young girl was taken by a lion from the residential area where she lived.
A second child noticed the incident and alerted the authorities. KWS teams followed the tracks and found the girl's lifeless body on the banks of the Mbagathi River.
KWS stated that the lion responsible for the attack has not yet been found, but traps have been set and search teams deployed to the area. The agency also announced that additional safety measures have been taken to prevent similar incidents.
Nairobi National Park, located just 10 kilometers from the city center, is home to many wild animals such as lions, buffaloes, giraffes, leopards, and cheetahs. While the park is fenced on three sides, the southern section remains open to allow animal migration.
In Kenya, lions are known to occasionally come into conflict with humans, especially when attacking livestock herds. However, human deaths are considered rare.
Last year, security cameras captured a lion snatching a Rottweiler dog from a house near Nairobi National Park.
KWS reported another tragic incident on the same day. In the Nyeri region, about 130 kilometers north of Nairobi, a 54-year-old man was killed in an elephant attack.
The elephant, which was grazing in the forest, attacked the man, breaking his ribs and damaging internal organs. Despite being taken to the hospital, he could not be saved.
Paula Kahumbu, president of the wildlife conservation organization WildlifeDirect, stated that these deaths were not isolated incidents. She emphasized the need for more effective risk assessments in high-risk areas and real-time tracking of wildlife movement.
Kahumbu added that hotels, camps, and residential areas near wildlife zones should be equipped with lighting, alarms, secure fences, and special deterrent systems.
"Preventive measures are our strongest line of defense," she said.
