3yearold animal lives in captivity and is part of the rehabilitation program in the capital Nairobi
Playback/ Kenya Wildlife Service
the government of Kenya last week defended his decision to sterilize a Lion in captivity, a move that sparked controversy in the country East Africa, where this feline species is threatened. The 3yearold lion was part of a rehabilitation program in the capital Nairobi for orphaned and injured animals. The decision to neuter him was “made with the aim of controlling reproduction at the place of captivity,” reported the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS, its English acronym). However, the measure was the subject of much criticism from the local population, who demanded that the animal be released so that it could breed. “When wild animals grow up with a bottle, they lose their wild instincts. If they are released into the wild, they are at risk,” the KWS said in a statement this Saturday, March 28. Because reproduction “is not allowed in captivity centers,” it was decided to “perform a vasectomy on the cat,” according to the explain the note. Nairobi National Park is home to many endangered species. Lions are under increasing pressure in Kenya’s capital, one of Africa’s fastest growing metropolitan areas, and this is resulting in shrinking lion ecosystems.
*With information from AFP