Two lions were euthanised in Huntington in Bushbuckridge at about 05:00 on Sunday, April 20.
They were part of the group that had been spotted in the area on April 13.
According to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency’s (MTPA) spokesperson, Simphiwe Shingube, the two loose lions were euthanised following a week-long joint operation with stakeholders, such as SANParks, trying to capture them or drive them back into the Kruger National Park.
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“After careful consideration of the damage caused by the lions to the community’s cattle and the difficulty of operating in the dense bush, the lions were to be euthanised. According to the tracks we were following, there were only two lions. There is no sign of the fourth lion, so we are still going to discuss internally if we will continue with the search,” he said.
Shingube also thanked the community once again for their patience during this operation. He said the lion that was captured on April 17 is still in the MTPA’s facility and would be released into the wild soon.
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He also said the public is advised to inform the MTPA immediately should they spot the fourth lion. Community members must not attempt to capture the animals themselves.
The lions were first spotted in the villages on the tar road between Huntington Village and Elephant Point on April 13. They were spotted again near Malamule Village at about 07:30 on April 16.
