A lioness has been taken ill after it sustained a deep cut on the neck in what the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers suspect was a human-wildlife conflict.

In a statement on Friday, November 29, 2024, KWS indicated that the lioness was found unconscious at the Nginyei area near Lolldaiga Conservancy in Laikipia County, with deep cuts that necessitated special treatment and care for the animal.

“A heartbreaking scene awaited the KWS PAMU team and the Mt. Kenya Veterinary Unit as they responded to a report of a lion in distress in the Nginyei area near Lolldaiga Conservancy,” the KWS statement read in part.

Adding: “A closer examination revealed a deep, fresh wound on the left side of her neck—an injury likely inflicted during a human-wildlife conflict. Given the severity of her wound and her slim chances of survival in the wild, the team made the difficult decision to transfer her to a captive facility for further care and treatment.”

Role of conservancies

KWS decried the situation, noting the pressing need to collaborate with locals to handle wildlife-human conflict without casualties.

Laikipia County is a major tourist destination with more than 24 conservancies in its territory. Some of these conservancies include Lolldaiga where the incident occurred while others are Borana Conservancy, El Karama Conservancy, Il Mamusi (Mukogodo), Il Ngwesi Conservancy, Kuri Kuri Group Ranch, Laikipia Nature Conservancy (Ol Ari Nyiro), Lekurruki, Loisaba and Makurian Group Ranch.

The other conservancies include Mpala Research Centre, Mugie Conservancy, Naibunga Central, Naibunga Lower, Naibunga Upper, Ol Jogi Ltd, Ol Maisor, Ol Pejeta, Ol-Lentile, Ole Naishu, Sangare Ranch, Segera, Sosian Samburumburu and Suyian.

With 65 per cent of Kenya’s wildlife in community and private lands, conservancies provide connected landscapes that complement national parks and reserves while enabling communities to benefit from wildlife.

Human-wildlife conflict

The attack comes just months after a hyena menace in Juja claimed the lives of at least eight residents, prompting the government to take drastic action to tame the marauding scavengers.

At the height of the conflict in August and September 2024, local leaders in the area had promised residents in Juja Ksh20,000 for every hyena they killed.

However, through the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism, the government conducted an operation in September that led to the capture of 60 hyenas in the area.

Joseph Dadacha, Senior Assistant Director for the Central Rift Conservation Area, led the operation, ‘Ondoa Fisi’, which mobilized officers from Nairobi, Laikipia, and Nakuru.