I’ve seen a (very large) cat in your garden… Lions on the loose in city

When a neighbour tells you they saw a cat in your back garden, this is not what you probably think they mean. As many as six lions are roaming residential Nairobi in Kenya, having evidently walking out of the nearby National Park. Kenyan wildlife authorities, who dispatched rangers to find the errant big cats, said the lions were first spotted at 4a.m. near a hospital in the suburb of Langata, and later near Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum.

Lions are dangerous wild animals. Don’t confront them when you encounter them.

Paul Udoto

It’s unclear how the lions got out of the park, most of which is surrounded by an electric fence. A team of wildlife rangers tracking the lions aims to capture them and return them to the park, “but they are prepared for anything”, said Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udoto. Nairobi National Park is home to many species of wildlife including endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife. Nairobi’s skyscrapers can be seen from the park.

Nairobi lions