Escaped Kruger lions close to being tracked down

According to an eNCA journalist on the scene, the escaped Kruger Park lions have been located and should soon be back in “custody”. Some reports mention five lions, while others suggest there are six.

A helicopter is assisting with efforts to round up the animals. On Tuesday morning, officials were clearing the area and warning the public it was still not safe.

The Kruger Park lions were on the loose since yesterday and the recapture was to take place on the border with Swaziland.

Earlier it was reported that the lions may have been hunting livestock in the area.

“It is chaos out here with everybody rushing to the scene. We ask the public to help us to stay away and help us to do our work,” said Mr Louw Steyn of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA).

He confirmed to the Lowvelder on Tuesday morning that they had come across a cow’s carcass in a farmer’s kraal after they followed the lions’ tracks. The lions had probably split up in two groups, he said.

Mr William Mabasa, acting head of Communications at SANParks, told Lowvelder on Tuesday morning that the lions were still outside the park and the rangers were searching for them.

Mr Gerhardus Harmse, an electrician from Komatipoort, saw the two males and four females first at 5am yesterday morning a few kilometres away from the filling station on the way to the Lebombo Border Post.

“I almost ran into the one lion, but was able to drive around it and came back to shine my light on the lions against the road so that the other cars don’t run into them,” said Harmse. He was on his way to work in Mozambique.

A security patrol car came by and helped Harmse to shine lights on the lions and they thereafter disappeared into the bush.

Photograph taken by an eyewitness of one of the escapee lions lying in the road yesterday morning.

The border police were called in.

Lt. Col. Mabuna, SAPS station commander at Lebombo, confirmed to the Lowvelder yesterday that the police sat at the spot where the lions were seen until SANParks rangers and the MTPA rangers and veterinarians arrived just before daylight. The search was on, and was concentrated on the camp of a farmer where they suspected the lions may have been heading.

Late yesterday afternoon the MTPA confirmed that no animals or people from the surrounding communities were hurt.

Sergeant Gerald Sedibe, provincial spokesperson for the SAPS, asked communities to be aware of the lions on the loose. Warnings were sent out by WhatsApp from security companies.

People spotting the animals are asked to contact the KNP on 0137354000, or alert their nearest SAPS station.

– Caxton News Service