Stray lion shot dead after attacking a man in Nairobi

A lion has been shot dead after attacking a man on the outskirts of Nairobi.

The animal wandered out of the Nairobi National Park in Kenya and rangers shot it because a mob had gathered around it and they feared more people would be hurt.

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An onlooker managed to capture footage of the lion apparently attacking a man near a motorbike before two gunshots are heard.

It then limps over near a 4X4 and later died.

According to Sky News, Paul Udoto, from Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS), said: "It had injured somebody.

"There was a crowd that had formed around it, so it was practically impossible to capture it the way we planned to."

Police spokesman, David Kipkemei, said the size of the crowd was growing and "excitement was there, which triggered the animal to be wild."

He added: "I expected KWS [Kenyan Wildlife Service] to disable the animal but not to kill the animal."

According to the Independent, Mr Udoto added: "The mob had formed and in the process somebody got injured, and by the time the veterinary and security teams got to the ground it was already beyond salvation.

"With that commotion we risked more injuries or even possible deaths."

Some reports suggest the lion escaped through a faulty electrical fence.

However, the Daily Telegraph revealed that a statement from the KWS said that the 13-year-old male lion, named Mohawk, was killed in a wildlife migration area outside the park's southern section, which is not fenced, and that the lion was trying to establish new territory.

Lion numbers have declined dramatically over the last 100 years because of a loss of habitat, conflict between livestock herders, and illegal and unregulated hunting.