During my regular monitoring of the Conservation Area in West Gate Conservancy,we saw a Samburu elder in the distance who appeared to be walking around keenly searching for something.
I turned off the engine and we walked towards him asking if there was any problem and the reason he was in the Conservation Area at 6:15 am. He said that during the night, 15 cows had wandered across the river into the Conservation Area. Three of those cows had been killed by lions at 5:30 am – not long before we arrived. He was in the process of looking for the other lost cows.
I alerted the community scouts via the security radio and they soon arrived to assist with looking for the cows and also to investigate the lion killings. We walked around and the elder showed us the 3 cows that the lions had killed.
Cow killed by lion
It was clear from the tracks and the layout of where the lions had killed the cows, that there were 3 lions who had killed the 3 cows. They had dragged off most of the first cow and we were unable to find the remains initially. Later on, we found the head and body stashed in a thick bush. The second cow had been eaten partially, mainly at the rear and it was clear that the lions had eaten most of the third cow.
Ricila, Ewaso Lions tracker, looks at the remains of the eaten bull
Eventually the community scouts and the Samburu elder found the lost cows and they were herded back across the river. The elder was not happy at all as he had lost approximately Kenya Shillings 100,000 ($1300) as a result of this incidence. Two of the cows killed also had young calves back in the village and he was concerned about their survival.
The scouts monitored and patrolled the Conservation Area for the rest of the day to ensure that livestock did not wander in again and also to ensure that the lions were protected in this small area.
That evening the elders from the village where the cows had come from, returned to cut up the remains of the cows and roast the meat. Donkeys arrived late in the night to transport all the meat back to the village.
I returned the following morning and all that remained from this conflict incidence, were many vultures and marabou storks feeding on the few remains of the cows.
