As a Samburu, he came from a community where it is traditional for boys to kill a lion as a rite of passage on entering manhood.

He spent seven hours in the operating theatre where doctors treating his extensive injuries were at first hopeful he would survive, but he had lost too much blood.

“Hyenas are cowardly animals that usually feed on leftovers,” Kenyan Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udot told reporters . “They must have been very hungry and realised the victim was vulnerable after the lion attack.”

National parks in Kenya are not fenced off and the wildlife roam freely so animal attacks are quite common in rural areas.

Credit: BBC NEWS