Lion mauls, kills teenage girl in Kenya

Saturday, April 26, 2025

On April 20, a female lion killed a 14-year-old girl at a ranch located south of Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The attack occurred inside of the girl’s own home.

Another teenager who was present inside the residence at that time reported seeing the lioness snatch the girl before alerting others. Authorities stated that there was no evidence that the attack was the result of provocation of any sort by the victim or the witness. It was believed that the lioness was drawn to the residential area due to food scarcity, and gained access by scaling a “makeshift” fence.

According to KWS, rangers and response teams were quickly mobilized and followed a trail of bloodstains that led to the Mbagathi River, where the girl’s body was recovered. She had sustained injuries to her lower back.

As of Friday, the lioness had not yet been located. Authorities set traps, and search teams conducted sweeps across the area in an effort to track down the lioness.

Attacks on humans by lions are rare in Africa, especially when not related to livestock. KWS officials have stated that discussions were being held to “reinforce security measures” in an effort to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. In an unrelated incident a day prior, a 54-year-old man was killed by an elephant in Nyeri County, Kenya, the KWS said.

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