Disturbing video: Wildlife officials gun down escaped lion

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Disturbing video of a lion attack just outside of Kenya's capital is raising concerns about wild animals living near big cities in Africa.

Lions have, in fact, wandered off from Nairobi's national park three times in the past month alone.

New video shows a group of men surround an escaped lion from Nairobi National Park, taking pictures and throwing rocks.

The famous feline, known as Mohawk, lashes out, injuring one person.

Wildlife rangers arrive on scene, but without tranquilizers, they shoot and kill the big cat. Officials say the action was taken as a last resort out of concern for public safety.

Residents in Nairobi were outraged, many criticizing the wildlife service and using the hashtag #justiceformohawk.

This is the third time a lion has escaped Nairobi National Park in two months.

The 117-square kilometer park butts up to the city of over 3 million, and is home to an array of animals, including zebras, giraffes, and antelope.

Despite the escapes, you're hard pressed to find a lion in the park. Only 35 lions live here, according to wildlife officials.

But, when they escape, they can be dangerous.

"I felt, 'Oh God, why this bad death to me?'" says lion attack victim Michael Odori. "So I closed my eyes, and said, 'Do what you want with me.'"

A lion attacked Odori while he was on his way to work.

"I saw it," Odori says. "Sticking out his teeth, coming to maul my face."

The feline fled but not before crushing his shoulder, the claws ripping his flesh.

Activists fear, encounters like this could grow more common.

The city has expanded tenfold since the 1940s.

The land surrounding the park is privately owned and prime real estate.

A recent road cutting through the park has also reduced the habitat.

Some lions leave the park searching for food, mainly livestock, putting them into direct conflict with humans.

And then there are the migratory routes.

"Wildlife use to migrate into those particular areas, and that particular area now is very settled," says Paul Gathitu, spokesman for Kenya Wildlife Service. "So that means when they come out, they get closer to people."

If a plan isn't developed, officials may be forced to fence off the park turning the Nairobi National Park into the Nairobi National Zoo.