Lion escapes from North West’s Pilanesberg National Park

A lion is on the loose after it escaped from the Pilanesberg National Park in the North West on Saturday.

The lion was first spotted by a farmer in Mahobieskraal after it mauled his goat.

“The farmer took a couple of shots at the lion and it ran away. Yesterday park management and rangers did an extensive search of the area.

“Search was also conducted by air in our Bathawk and a helicopter. A bait trap has also been set up with the hope that the lion will be lured and be captured,” said park ranger Steve Dell in a Facebook post on Sunday.

The lion possibly got injured when the farmer shot at it, he added.

Wild animals periodically escape from parks across the country.

In 2020, seven lions made a dash for it and escaped from the Alldays Lodge in Limpopo. They were all kept in an enclosure at the registered captive breeding facility.

The lions were darted and captured within 11 hours.

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In the preceding year, a pride of 14 lions escaped from the Kruger National Park.

Locals spotted them roaming around the Phalaborwa’s Foskor Mine prompting warnings from local officials. The pride was eventually darted and brought back into the park.

Pilanesberg is situated in the Bojanala district, and is an hour away from the Sun City Resort.

Named after the Tswana chief Pilane of the Bakgatla, the park spans across 50 000 hectares of land, according to SA Nature Reserves website.

The game reserve is managed by the North West Parks Board.

Dell appealed to communities around the park to call the park’s control room should they spot the lion.

“We ask the communities around the park to be vigilant when they see the lion outside the park. Please call our control room on 014 555 1606 or your local SAPS, who are in contact with park rangers,” said Dell.

It is not yet clear how the animal escaped.

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