Legendary lion ‘Lorkulup’ takes final bow following a fatal hunt
The Mara has lost one of its greatest hunters nicknamed Lorkulup. The task ended last week when the iconic lion’s body was found near an eland carcass, a sign of his final hunt.
Conservationists and safari lovers at the Maasai Mara National Reserve believe he took on the massive antelope alone, which was a bold but dangerous move.
Eland are not easy prey – they are strong, fast and will fight to survive. An adult male is around 1.6 m tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to 942 kg with a typical range of 500–600 kg. Females are around 1.4 m tall and weigh 340–445 kg.
Lorkulup appears to have been badly injured in the fight, leaving him vulnerable and a clan of hyenas probably finished what the eland had started.
Before his tragic fall, Lorkulup had survived buffalo hunting, spear wounds and a venomous snake bite and he was known for his unmatched strength, hunting skills and leadership.
Born in 2017, Lorkulup, whose death was announced earlier this month, was seven and a half years old, shy of eight when a lion’s prime starts to fade, but also a mark of resilience.
Born into the Rongai pride, Lorkulup’s journey to dominance was one of resilience and determination. Unlike many lions who rely on teamwork to survive, Lorkulup gained a reputation for his solitary hunting style, particularly his ability to take down large prey such as buffalo single-handedly, a rare feat.
The Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) said a veterinary team and Maasai Mara rangers were on patrol when they found the carcasses of a lion and an eland, side by side.
“Preliminary observations suggest the fabled King of the Jungle successfully brought down the eland but sustained severe injuries in the process. Vulnerable and weakened, it likely fell victim to opportunistic hyenas, who seized the moment to kill the wounded lion and feed on both carcasses,” it said.
“We are in the process of determining the identity of the lion. This discovery is a stark reminder of nature’s delicate balance—the relentless battle between predator and prey, the fleeting nature of dominance, and the unending circle of life in the wild.”
His death comes exactly a year after his brother Olobor vanished without a trace.
The disappearance forced the Kenya Wildlife Service to issue a statement denying reports that he had been killed by herders. Olobor was a member of the ‘Black Rock Pride’.
“KWS Intelligence and Investigation responded by visiting the area but neither evidence nor information was gathered to prove the allegations,” a statement from the KWS communication desk said then.
The Service at the time said it has since deployed ‘Mara Predators’ research team and tasked Maasai Mara’s top management to look for Olobor.
“We reassure the public that we will provide an accurate account of Olobor when the facts are established and proven,” the statement added.
For a year now, there has been no news of Olobor and he has never been seen roaming the Mara.
In 2022, Olobor and his brother Olpadan mauled another iconic lion, nicknamed King Olope, to death in a pride territorial fight.
During the fierce fight that led to his death, Olope is said to have fought hard singlehandedly, and Olpadan was left with life-threatening injuries.
In the same year, he was filmed fighting over 20 hyenas which had attacked him at the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
In the video posted on YouTube, although outnumbered by the clan of hyenas, Olobor showed the characteristics of a fearless male lion by fighting back.
The hyena clan was trying to defend its territory from the fearless male lion but instead, they lost a clan member trying to defend their territory in vain.
According to the National Geographic (NatGeo) website, lions mark their territories with urine and patrol their territories to ward off intruders.
Lion prides are made up of anywhere from two to 40 animals, with three to four males dominating a single pride.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists lions as an endangered species, estimating that there were less than 25,000 remaining in Africa.
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