Two Charged With Poisoning Famous Lions

Two Maasai herdsmen have been charged after allegedly
poisoning a famous pride of lions in Narok, south-west Kenya, a wildlife
official said. Simindei Naururi and Kulangash Toposat reportedly doused a cow
carcass with poison at the Maasai Mara Game reserve.

Two lions from the pride were killed and one is missing.
Eight are being treated after falling ill. The lions are thought to have killed
three of the herdsmen’s cows when they entered the reserve.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service warned that other animals might
have been affected.

The lions, from the famous Marsh pride, were featured on BBC
wildlife programme Big Cat Diary. The poisoning was confirmed on the pride’s Facebook
page on 7 December.

One of the two lions killed was Bibi, a 17-year-old female
lion. A BBC wildlife crew member at the scene said she was found “foaming
at the mouth, fitting and panting”.

Another lioness, Sienna, is missing, according to the David
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Her two-year-old cub is reportedly being treated by
vets.

The BBC’s Alastair Leithead in Nairobi says there is
conflict between the big cats and Maasai herdsmen. Local cattle herders have
poisoned lions in the past to stop them eating their cattle. The men have now
been charged to court.