Mohawk the lion, said to be one of the most famous big cats in Kenya, was killed by wildlife rangers after he wandered into a town and thrashed a man. The majestic 13-year-old male was so named because of the shape of his black mane.
Photos showed a ranger shooting him with an automatic rifle on Wednesday and officials said he "posed an immediate threat to human life," according to the
Washington Post.
The Kenyan Wildlife Service said the lion was put down outside Isinya, a town 20 miles from Nairobi. The lion had wandered there from the Nairobi National Park, according to
The Star Kenya.
"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," said Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Gathitu, according to the Post.
The Post said an animal management team arrived with rifles, but not tranquilizers. Before wildlife officials could return with tranquilizers the management team shot Mohawk.
The majestic 13-year-old lion was so named because of the shape of his black mane,
Mohawk's killing angered many Kenyans, who went on social media to start the hashtag #JusticeForMohawk and began calling for the Kenyan Wildlife Service to be held accountable for the death.
"In Kenya our heritage is our wildlife," said a petition started against the wildlife service's action, said The Star. "The protectors of our heritage are the government and KWS. But they shot this lion dead in cold blood, without reason other than their total incompetence."
Last month, a pride of lions escaped from the park, but some residents complicated efforts to recapture them by trying to take selfies with them, Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udoto said, according to
CNN.
Other animals live on the grasslands of the Nairobi National Park like leopards, buffaloes, and giraffes, noted CNN. An electric fence normally keeps the animals inside the park.
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