Deceased
Loonkito
Also known as Loonkiito · Possibly the Oldest Wild Lion in Africa
c. 2004 – 10 May 2023
Born in Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya
Loonkito, also spelled Loonkiito, was a male lion of Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Born around 2004, he was followed for years by the conservation group Lion Guardians, and in 2021 the Kenya Wildlife Service described him as a legendary big cat warrior who had defended his territory for more than a decade.
Wild lions rarely live past fifteen. By 2023 Loonkito was nineteen, frail, and no longer able to hunt wild prey or keep his place with a pride. East Africa was suffering its worst drought in decades, and herders who had lost much of their livestock were guarding the rest closely.
On the night of 10 May 2023, starving and alone, Loonkito jumped into a cattle pen in Olkelunyiet village, just outside the park, and was speared to death by Maasai herders. Lion Guardians mourned him as the oldest male lion in the ecosystem and possibly in Africa, and a symbol of resilience and coexistence. Within the same week, ten lions were killed by herders around Amboseli.
Profile
Identity
- Name
- LoonkitoThe name he is best known by
- Nicknames
- Loonkiito
- Origin of the name
- A Maa nameMeaning not found in the sources used
- Sex
- Male
- Distinguishing features
- Frail in his last years
- Weight
- Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg
Birth & Family
- Born
- c. 2004Lion Guardians give his dates as 2004 – 2023
- Birthplace
- Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya
- Birth pride
- Information not available
- Father
- Information not available
- Mother
- Information not available
- Siblings
- Information not available
Reign
- Pride king
- Yes, for more than a decade
- Prides ruled
- Information not available
- Pride size
- Information not available
- Reign
- More than 10 years
- Ruled with
- Information not available
- Coalition
- Information not available
- Home range
- Amboseli National Park and surrounding Maasai lands, Kenya
- Territory size
- Information not available
Death
- Died
- 10 May 2023
- Age at death
- 19
- Cause of death
- Speared by herdersAfter entering a livestock pen in search of food
- Place of death
- Olkelunyiet village, near Amboseli National Park, Kenya
- Burial
- Information not available
Names & Meanings
A Maa name; also spelled Loonkiito.
Family & Lineage
Life Story
- c. 2004
Born in the Amboseli ecosystem.
- 2010s
Defended a territory for more than a decade.
- 2021
Called a legendary big cat warrior by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
- 2022 – 2023
East Africa’s worst drought in decades.
- 10 May 2023
Speared in a cattle pen in Olkelunyiet village.
- May 2023
Ten lions were killed by herders around Amboseli in one week.
Legend & Truth
The oldest?
Loonkito was widely called the world’s oldest wild lion. Few wild lions’ ages are known exactly, so the claim cannot be confirmed, but nineteen is exceptional.
A tough situation for both sides
Lion Guardians stressed that the herders, having lost animals to drought, were defending what they had left.
Photographs
Film
Animation
Sources
- Nation — Herders kill oldest lion in Amboseli
- ABC News — Loonkito, one of the world’s oldest lions, killed
- Global News — Loonkiito killed by herders
- Wikipedia — Loonkito
Where sources disagree, the most widely reported figure is shown, with other reports noted beneath it.