Stray lion attacks elderly man during rush hour traffic

zainab quadri

March 23, 2016 3:50 PM

A male lion that strayed into rush hour traffic in the Kenyan capital injured an elderly man before being captured and taken back to a reserve.

Stray lion attacks elderly man during rush hour traffic

Fear gripped Nairobi residents when the stray lion made its way to the busy Mombasa Road.

Residents plying the route got a rude shock when a man (first witness) came face-to-face with the lion sleeping. The man is said to have screamed to alert other passers-by who apparently instead of running for safety, went closer to see the king of the jungle.

As the drama continued, they alerted motorists on the busy highway, who started hooting, infuriating the lion.

According to witnesses, the man eater instinctively went on the defensive, attacking an elderly man and smacking him with its paws.

The injured man fainted on the spot before he was picked by a Good Samaritan who rushed him to hospital.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) which manages the country's safari reserves including the Nairobi National Park on the outskirts of the capital, said its units had caught the lion after images posted on social media showed it wandering along a main road near the park.

KWS spokesman Paul Udoto told Kenya's NTV that the elderly man was in a stable condition after the black-maned lion attacked him when it became agitated by the hooting of car horns by passing motorists.

"The lion is safely back, but our teams are still on the ground in case there are any others around that have not been spotted," Udoto said.

Last month, two lions spent a day wandering through Kibera, a densely packed Nairobi slum, before returning to the park.

Although lion sightings are becoming more common in the bustling capital, it is unusual for anyone to be injured during the animals' outings.

READ: Pastor's buttocks eaten by lion after he tried to prove the ‘Lord’s power over animals’

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