Nairobi girl dragged away, killed by lion

Nairobi, April 20 (IANS) In a tragic incident, a 14-year-old girl, living on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, was dragged away and killed by a marauding lion, wildlife officials said on Sunday.

The child was snatched from a residential compound on a ranch next to Nairobi National Park, which is just 10km from the city centre and is home to animals such as lions, buffalos, giraffes, leopards and cheetahs, the BBC reported, citing the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

As per the KWS, the alarm was raised by another teenager, and its rangers followed the big cat's tracks to the nearby Mbagathi River, where they found the primary school girl's remains.

The lion has not been traced yet, but the KWS said it had set a trap and deployed search teams to look for the killer animal.

Additional security measures had been taken to prevent any further attacks, it added.

The Nairobi National Park is fenced on three sides to stop animals from coming into the city but is open on its southern side to allow animals to migrate in and out.

While lions often come into conflict with humans in Kenya, especially over livestock, it is not common for people to be killed.

Last year, a lion snatched a Rottweiler dog from another home near Nairobi National Park, as per CCTV footage, the BBC reported.

The KWS also reported that a 54-year-old man was killed by an elephant on Saturday in the central Nyeri country, about 130km north of Nairobi.

The elephant was grazing in a forest when it attacked the man, who sustained serious chest injuries, fractured ribs and internal trauma. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

--IANS

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