Olobor Mara famous lion
A mediation session to address the alleged killings of lions in Masai Mara National Game Reserve will be held next week.
The community mediation session will take place from September 4 to September 6 in Narok, and will involve various parties including lion enthusiasts, the community living around the Mara, and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
The session arises from a suit filed by American lion enthusiast Luis Junior Franco who filed a case early this year.
“You shall be required to be present throughout the period during which the mediation session shall be conducted. Attendance at the mediation session is mandatory,” stated Mediator Geofrey Nthiga Njagi in a communication to the parties.
Franco, through lawyer Kipruto David, filed the suit following reports of the killing of the famous lion, Olobor. Franco wants the government to provide information on the whereabouts of the lion. Olobor was a famous lion from the Black Rock Pride in the Mara.
Lion enthusiasts, tour guides, and drivers, however, believe Olobor was killed by herders. Many wildlife lovers took to social media to protest against the killings, saying the act posed a threat to the food chain.
Franco filed the suit at the Environment and Lands Court in Nairobi in March. He named Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Tourism CS, and the Attorney General as respondents.
He said KWS had failed to fulfil its mandate and duty under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013.
Franco said two other famous lions of the Mara, Logol, and Half-Tail of the Mash pride and Nyekundo of the Enkoyanai lion coalition, have been killed by pastoralists.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said in their investigations and visit to the area of the alleged killing of Olobor known as Maji ya Fisi near Talek Gate, no carcass of the lion was found. He also said the reserve rangers and the people interviewed in Mara were not aware of any incident involving Olobor.
