Kenya

A terrifying incident in Kenya’s Ongata Rongai where a lioness on the loose has reportedly eaten at least six dogs is being treated as a blessing in disguise for the women in the town. Last week, a stray lioness was caught on camera jumping over a wall into a family’s garden and stealing their dog and now she is being hailed as a “heroine”.

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Dog-eating lioness in Kenyan town

On Wednesday (May 21), a family was shocked after CCTV footage revealed that the stray lioness climbed the walls of their gated home and stole their reportedly 75-kg Rottweiler in under 10 minutes. 

The footage shows the lioness walking away with the helpless pet between its teeth. The dog named Jaci, along with her littermate, Laser, had been with the family for nearly two years, reported The Mirror. 

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“It didn’t even take 10 minutes. Just like that, we lost our dog,” Sylvia Wamai, the pet owner, told BBC. 

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Arguably one of the most surprising parts of the ordeal was the fact that the family was at home when the lioness entered their garden but Sylvia said they had no idea it was happening and were powerless to stop it. 

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“We were shocked, because we were outside looking for our dog and the lioness was just a few metres away from the gate,” she said. 

The lioness, according to the timestamp on the CCTV footage, was roaming in the area at around 9:59 pm (local time). 

According to media reports, residents of Elmeut Estate in Ongata Rongai have also reported cases of their dogs going missing. 

The terrified residents have reportedly called on the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to take action and cage the animal. 

Why do women want the lioness to stay?

According to a report by the Nairobi-based newspaper, The Star, the women in Ongata Rongai have told KWS to stop hunting down Makena, the dog-eating lioness. 

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The women in the town said that because of Makena their husbands are back home at 6:00 pm (local time) each day and that the lioness is restoring families to a “factory setting.”

One of the residents also took to social media and said that the stray lioness is a blessing in disguise as families across the town remain stable. 

“Long live Makena. You are our heroine,” said another user on Facebook, according to The Star. 

(With inputs from agencies)