Ezemvelo on quest to confirm reported lion sightings outside eShowe

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has launched a full-scale search of the Nembe area outside eShowe after reports of a lion sighting over the weekend.

Two lions were reportedly seen on Sunday along the P710 route and in residential areas along the uMbohlisa river.

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uMlalazi Mayor Queen Xulu urged Ezemvelo to expedite their search process after Sunday’s exploration yielded no results.

Xulu requested a multi-sectoral approach in the search for the predators as the clock ticks.

“The fear for safety in the community is mounting, and the level of fear and panic within the community is high,” said Xulu.

“We applaud the swift intervention by Ezemvelo in treating this as a matter of urgency, however, we are of the firm view that the search efforts should be multiplied and escalated to relevant authorities and specialists with the necessary expertise to capture these lions.

“These wild animals are dangerous and highly aggressive. We call upon our communities to exercise caution, travel in groups and watch over children.

We also call upon those who keep their livestock in the bushes to collect their animals before they are devoured by the lions,” she said.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife communications manager Musa Mntambo said, according to reports, the lions were spotted by three families.

“After receiving a report, we immediately deployed field rangers to the location to confirm their presence, track, and catch them. Unfortunately, our rangers could not see any lion spoor in the area.

“It is important to note that the Nembe area has a hard surface, making it difficult to detect any spoor. At this stage, we cannot confirm or deny the presence of lions.”

Ezemvelo ecologist Dr Dave Druce said Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) was the only nearby game reserve with lions, but it is more than 100km away.

“We have not received any reports of livestock killed by lions. It would be a rare occasion that the lions might have walked for more than 100km without killing any livestock,” he said.

“Hluhluwe to uMlalazi is an extremely long way with a lot of developed areas. When lions have left the iMfolozi section of the park in the past, they have always followed the river – either the White Mfolozi towards oPhathe or the Black Mfolozi towards Babanango/Vryheid.

“I highly doubt the animals seen were lions, and doubt even more that, if there were, they would have come from HiP,” said Druce.

He said they have recently witnessed strange incidents in other provinces, of people keeping dangerous wild animals as pets.

“There have also been wild animals that escaped while in transit.

Thus, Ezemvelo cannot ignore such reports and must investigate any reports of dangerous wild animal sightings,” he said.

“We appeal to community members to inform their nearest police station if they hear any lion roaring sounds or see the two reported lions.

They should also notify Ezemvelo if they find any animal carcasses, as that will allow Ezemvelo to determine if that dead animal was killed by a lion or other wild animals living outside of protected areas,” he said.

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