By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has issued a statement following reported sighting of three lions near Lang’ata Women’s Prison in Nairobi.
In a statement on Thursday, KWS said a team has already been mobilised to respond to the reposted.
The service noted that a thorough search mounted at night on Wednesday did not bear anu fruit.It’s now asking members of the public to stay vigilant as they continue monitoring the situation.
“Last evening, Kenya Wildlife Service received reports of three lions allegedly sighted near Lang’ata Women’s Prison in Nairobi,” the agency said in part of the statement.
“In response, the KWS Problem and Animal Control team promptly mobilized and conducted a thorough search of the area throughout the night. Despite their efforts no lions were found,” it added.
The KWS team however remains alert and continues to monitor the situation.
The service also affified its commitment to ensuring safety of the public which has been and remains their top priority.
“We urge residents to steal vigilant and report any wildlife sighting to the KWS 24-hour hotline number,” read the statement from the Corporate Communications department.
KWS’s hotline number shared by the team is 0800 597 000.
It also has a WhatsApp number which is 0726 610509.
Lions have hunted humans in the past but experts say they are not as dangerous as people think.
Data from BBC Science Focus show that lions kill on average of 200 people a year.However, data show that in 70 years, lions were responsible for 282 deaths.