Fear has gripped the residents of Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County after CCTV footage of a lioness hunting in a residential area emerged online.
In the clip obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the lioness was recorded slowly approaching the gate of a well-secured compound before climbing on top of the concrete wall that holds the metal gate.
However, the lioness did not appear unsettled by the glaring security light fitted on top of the gate before it began staring at the compound.
The clip went viral on Friday, March 28, with several social media users sharing the video, which has since elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans.
While some expressed fear over the lioness’ presence in a residential area, others observed that the big cat could have been within its natural habitat as the area lies near a wildlife territory.
The one-minute clip has since attracted the attention of many, with a section of Kenyans calling on the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to intervene and ensure the wild animal is captured and taken back to its habitat.
Cases of wild animals, especially lions and hyenas, being spotted in public areas within Nairobi and its neighbouring counties have been common in the recent past.
In January this year, the wildlife service was forced to dispatch a special team to trace and capture a lioness that had been spotted in a residential area of Ongata Rongai.
Addressing members of the public on January 20, KWS officers revealed that they had finally caught the wild animal, which had for months evaded their trap.
According to the KWS rangers, the older lioness could have been the mother of two other lions that were also captured late last year after escaping from their original habitat.
At the time of its capture, the rangers noted that the lioness had several injuries, depicting a possible encounter with civilians from the Ongata Rongai area.
"Yesterday, a lioness was captured in Sorora Drive, Rimpa, Kajiado North, by the KWS PAC team. Confirmed by her distinctive ear notch, she is believed to be the mother of the two lions captured earlier in the same area," the officers noted.
