Wild lion Loonkiito, believed to be world‘s oldest, impaled to death in Kenya

A Kenyan lion named Loonkiito,believed to be the world's oldest, has died after he was brutallyimpaled by Maasai morans (warriors) on Wednesday (May 10) night, according to local wildlife officials.

Loonkiito, who was 19 years old,died in theOlkelunyiet village, located in southern Kenya, bordering Amboseli National Park, while preying upon livestock. The village is famous for being the best place in Africa where tourists can get close to freely roaming wild elephants and other wildlife species.

Lion Guardians, a Maasai-operated conservation group, took to Instagram and informed aboutLoonkiito's demise, referring to him as the "oldest male lion in their ecosystem and possibly in Africa".

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"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Loonkiito (2004-2023), the oldest male lion in our ecosystem and possibly in Africa. He died yesterday, on the 10th of May 2023 at 19 years old," read the caption.

"He was a symbol of resilience and coexistence. We at Lion Guardians feel privileged to have borne witness to his life and his legacy. In the following weeks and months, we hope to share the extraordinary story of Loonkiito’s life with the world."

The king of the jungle was killed because he ventured too close to human settlement. A combination of factors, primarily the drought and lack of food in the forest led the lion to hunt livestock as a last resort.

"In desperation, lions often turn to take livestock," the group added.

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Loonkiito was an aberration

According to experts, most lions do not live beyond 13 years in the wild, which madeLoonkiito an anomaly. Though it is not confirmed by the Kenyan government if he was the oldest lion on the continent, his death has certainly made an impact and shows the increasing friction between man and animals.

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Paula Kahumbu, a wildlife conservationist and chief executive officer of WildlifeDirect, told BBC she was pained by the death ofLoonkiito.

"This is the breaking point for human-wildlife conflict and we need to do more as a country to preserve lions, which are facing extinction," said Kahumbu.

Notably, apart from Africa, the majestic big cats are only found in India's Gir National Park in the western state of Gujarat.

(With inputs from agencies)

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