Col Patterson hunted down the Tsavo man-eaters in 1898
Kenya is trying to recover the remains of two infamous lions which killed 140 railway workers in the 19th Century.
They are the legendary man-eaters of Tsavo who caused havoc among the Indian labourers who built the railway line between Mombasa and Lake Victoria.

The lions' skulls and hides are housed at a museum in the US city of Chicago.

But Kenya's National Museum says they represent an important part of Kenya's history and heritage - and it wants them back.

The two lions struck over a 9-month period in 1898 bringing construction of the line to a halt.

An Oscar-winning film was made about the Tsavo man-eaters in 1996.

They were eventually shot by a British engineer, Lieutenant Colonel John Patterson, who later sold the skulls and hides to the Chicago Field Museum.

A spokeswoman for the state-owned National Museum of Kenya (NMK), Connie Maina, said: "We will use international protocols to repatriate them... it would be good to get them back."

man-eaters


The movie was amazing. These animals acted in a very contrary way to what was/is known of Lions. They proved that a native myth was so much more than a story.

I don,t ever remember hearing of this one, sounds very interesting though! And if it,s their history i think those people should get their lions back!

i remember going to the Chicago field museum and seeing them. they gave me chills. but if it is apart of there history then i think they should have them back.

It's a fascinating story and the movie wasn't bad either.. they should get them back..

The movie is called "The Ghost and the Darkness". Awesome movie!