14 lions captured outside Serengeti

Chaos broke out in villages surrounding the Serengeti National Park after 14 lions strayed from the boundaries of the park. The 14 were captured by wildlife authorities, an official said on Saturday [21 March].

According to Mr Nurdin Babu, the Serengeti district commissioner, the 14 lions were captured between Monday and Friday, bringing the total number of captured lions in the district to 31.

‘The wildlife officials are now in the process of capturing two remaining lions with their cubs,’ said Babu. Once these have been captured, it will end the ‘nightmare experienced by the villagers who spent sleepless nights in fear of the wild animals,’ according to a report in Tanzania’s The Citizen.

Early this year 17 lions were captured in villages located near the Serengeti National Park and they were relocated to the newly established Burigi-Chato National Park in the northwest of Tanzania.

Lions that leave the Serengeti National Park and move through surrounding villages kill cattle and goats, according to the Serengeti district wildlife officer Mr John Lendoyani.