Oct 18, 2023
Loonkito or Oloongitok photographed by Harman Singh Heer in Amboseli, Kenya. He was the oldest known male lion in the wild when at age 19 he fell victim to human-wildlife conflict on May 2023.
Human-wildlife conflict is an infamous contributor to dwindling wildlife numbers. In many cases, historically nomadic peoples have been forced into sedentary lifestyles upon the formation of modern borders and nation states. As pastoralists take up more and more space for their cattle and other animals, there are increased chances of lions getting into human territory for easy prey—which also leads to increased chances of retaliation from humans whose sources of income are threatened.
