Apr 15 2008
Two lions dead.
This morning we went out to check on the progress of a male lion who has been sick for almost two weeks. Although his senses were fully alert, within 24 hours of first showing signs of illness, paralysis of the limbs occurred which meant that he was unable to look after himself.
The lion at the beginning of the illness.
Fully alert, yet almost completely paralysed, despite all our efforts there was very little improvement in his condition. Under instruction by KWS we have been keeping the lion alive by feeding him each day and also bringing water. We have continued this for ten days until this morning when two male lions found the sick lion. One of the lions gave a bite to the back of the head which killed him instantly.
This morning, after the attack. More photos at Flickr.
At the same time this lion fell ill, two other lions from the same coalition also fell ill. Their senses were fully alert, yet paralysis occurred in the limbs. One of the lions was fortunate to recover, however the other lion was so acutely affected that it was decided by KWS to euthanise the male.
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What do you suspect is killing these lions? Poison?
s.
I have the same question as Sheryl…is this poisioning…so sad and tragic…
Hi Kimojino, this sounds a bit like possible poisoning. Can Asuka or KWS vet take samples from the sick or dead lions and find out what’s killing them?
Some farmers in Kenya are using Furadan to kill predators. They often take a dead cow and put Furadan inside knowing full well when the predators eat the cow the Furadan will kill them. Many of the big birds such as vultures and storks have also died of this poisoning. It out to be outlawed!
This makes me very sad..sob..sob
She looks very malnourished too.
Out of curiousity..what happens to her now that she is dead..? poor thing
I’m so sad to hear this news. What a horrible way to die. If it was poison, it was really cruel.
So very sorry to read this! If it was poisoning it is even worse - there are too many evil people in this world!
This is tragic, will there be post mortems on these lions to find out what is happening to them? I guess like others it sounds like poisoning, but probably best to be sure. Hope no more fall ill.
This certainly is tragic. I wonder like Louise, if post mortems will be done. If the deaths are caused by poisioning, how horrible. To be paralysed what else could it be? What area of the Mara were the lions in?
Another day an article makes me ill to my stomach!
So tragic I like every one else is wondering if it is poison.And are there going to be post mortems done. There absolutely should be. I can’t stand to see suffering.. I understand the farmers plight in protecting there livestock I also know there is a way to work it out. Other than Financing what other ways are needed from us to help. please advise.
It absolutely sounds like poison to me - this is so sad, please do keep us all posted on what you are able to find out and if someone or some people are responsible for this, they must be found and delt with accordingly !
So so sorry to hear about this, it is a very sad loss
Has the behavior similar to that exhibited by the two male lions been observed in the past? I have not heard of cannibalism among lions, so I wonder what was behind the euthanasia.
Animals are very intuitive…if the lion did not make a meal out of this unfortunate soul, then I presume he knew he was suffering and wanted to put an end to his misery? This is SO sad, and I’m sure it IS poisoning. I hope an autopsy will be done. Like Sue, I would love to help, but just cannot do so financially. Please let us know if there is ANYTHING else that can be done. Good luck to you brave people out there, working to save what is so fragile and important!
i am so sorry this lion had to die so young. he looked no older than three. and what a way to go for the king of beast! i wonder how is the true beast in this case? poisoning sounds about right. hate to see young lions ( especially males ) die so young since there are too few males around . and i also wonder what will happen to the one that survived? Now this sole survivor who has to face the world all alone with the death of his pals and coalition. before he had two brothers or coalition and his future seemed so bright and the chance of finding his own pride of females was so good then.
autopsy? i doubt it since money is short. too bad poisons are so cheap and so easy to get. remember the poisoning of an old man by his son, a murran? with all the unstable political situation and the displaced people, banning or at least regulating cheap/easy poison can only be a dream.
This is so completely sad. It makes me so angry. I can’t believe, I’m mean, it’s just crazy that people want to kill these magnificent animals. There is no excuse in the world for this. No cattle, no livestock is worth this cruelty and inhumane behavior. Other means are available. Such as the guard dogs that other farmers use. Lisa
Apparently the blood test to determine furandan poisoning must be taken within one to two hours after initial exposure. What treatment, other then supportive care was given to the lion who is still alive (atropine?). What protocal is in place by KWS, if any, to deal with this problem. It is a quick acting poison, needing immediate administration of atropine. Any carnivore exhibiting signs of severe muscle weakness or any form of paralysis, without signs of physical signs of injury, should be assumed poisoned.
Thank you for doing your best to save the lions. If there’s a suspicion of poison, is it presumed to be retaliatory in response to lions feeding on Maasai livestock?
[…] By they way, I visited the Mara tirangle blog and they are mourning the death of two lions. Here is the link to the site. http://maratriangle.wildlifedirect.org/2008/04/15/two-lions-dead/. […]
poleni sana, we are also working on the same issues of lions here in southern Kenya, Maasailand. But our bigger problem is, we are trying to stop people from killing lions mainly through spearing. http://lionguardians.wildlifedirect.org/2008/03/13/how-long-can-this-go-on/
This is tragic! As KWS will tell you, it’s hard enough to protect our wildlife without possible poisoners joining the wrong side of the battle. And after reading about the dedicated work undertaken by Kapande and other Lion Guardians, this is doubly horrific.
Have checked out lion guardians web site. What a brilliant job they are doing. Matbe you should set up a guardians system like this to monitor these poisonings.
[…] the investigation into the deaths of the lions is ongoing, our other work in the Conservancy still continues. This morning Kimojino was out on […]
Thanks everyone for sharing with us this agonising situation we`re at the moment.The death of these precious animals is so traumatising,and so hard bear.Will keep you posted when the results are out.
It is absolutely sickening to see what is happening. It appears the lions were poisoned. With insufficient funding and poor utilization of resources we will continue to lose our wildlife. Education is key. The importance of tourism is too great to be ignored. Rather than thinking about the present we must think about our future. People are saying we have bigger problems to address rather than wildlife, there is land, poverty, aids etc. The task for the protectors of our wildlife is only going to get harder and harder. We must act now, educating people, strengthening the laws and it is only us as Kenyans who can do that. Our Government needs to know that their local ‘mwanainchi’ are concerned about the loss of wildlife, environmental degradation etc and it is not just a preserve of the foreigner / tourist. If we do not stand up and do or say something it is only us and our future generations who will suffer.
I am currently working on ways and means of how to involve Kenyans in learning about the importance of Wildlife and how we can come together and protect it. Kindly watch this space as I will appreciate all the help I can get.
Pole sana to those who tirelessly work to protect the animals in the Mara. We may lose the battle but we will win the war.
[…] April 15th we reported that two lions had died within the Mara Triangle. Here is an annotated version of the findings from the investigation, the original written by Dr […]