Lion shot dead after attacking man near Kenya national park outside Nairobi

Police say an excited gathering crowd 'triggered the animal to be wild'

Kenyan wildlife rangers opened fire and a killed a lion after it strayed from a national park and attacked a man outside the capital of Nairobi.

Wildlife officials, who had planned to capture the animal, decided to shoot after a mob gathered around the lion. They feared more people would be injured.

Footage of the incident was captured on a mobile phone, showing the lion trying to attack a man and residents perched on the back of trucks.

Paul Udoto, from Kenya's wildlife service, said the animal was killed by wildlife officials after it had injured a man in the Kajiado district – some 35 miles from the Kenyan capital.

Mr Utodo 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."

David Kipkemei, a police spokesman, 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."

There was no further information about the nature of the injuries inflicted on the man outside Nairobi. It is the second incident in March involving a stray lion. A lion mauled a pedestrian in the capital before being captured on 18 March.

"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," Mr Udoto said. "With that commotion we risked more injuries or even possible deaths."

Nairobi National Park lies on the city limits, providing visitors views of lions, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and other wildlife against a backdrop of high-rise buildings.

Lions are occasionally spotted in the city close to the park after they find a way through fences that protect the built-up areas near the reserve.

Additional reporting by Reuters