The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) this week saved a four-month-old lion cub that was found alone, weak, and starving withi Block 16 of the Nairobi National Park.
Believed to have been left behind by its pride due to its inability to keep up, KWS says the cub was in critical condition at the time of rescue.
Nature enthusiasts spotted the cub before alerting the park management.
Acting swiftly to save the cub, a KWS veterinary team quickly transferred it to a nursery at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
At the facility, the veterinary officers administered anti-biotics and intravenous fluids. “The cub is now under close monitoring and being fed to help it regain strength,” KWS says.
Once fully recovered, it will be reintroduced into the wild as part of KWS’s rewilding efforts.
But this was not an isolated case, KWS says that in the past three weeks, its team has rescued four lion cubs: two were in critical condition; sadly, one did not survive, while one is now a permanent resident at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
Experts say that during the rainy season, tall grass and shifting herbivore patterns often make it difficult for carnivores to hunt effectively.
It is because of this reason that the KWS is currently conducting a feeding intervention, providing meat daily to the pride residing in the park to help them regain their strength and resume natural hunting.
