JOHANNESBURG - Limpopo police are searching for a lion that escaped from a trailer outside Tzaneen.
It’s understood that two of the big cats jumped off the trailer on Sunday but one of them was recaptured after it was injured.
The police's Moatshe Ngoepe says a search is underway for the other one.
“If a lion is on the loose, the lives of our people might be in danger. Let them pay extra care whenever they are moving around the area but on the same note, when they see it, let them immediately contact the nearest police station.”
Cape Town - Two escaped lions were a cause for concern just outside Tzaneen in Limpopo, after a farmer spotted them escaping from a moving trailer on Sunday, 25 November.
The origins of the lions however remain unclear, after a search and capture operation was wrapped up on Monday morning.
Theo de Jager, President of World Farmers Organisation WFO, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and Agri All Africa said in a tweet, "Two wild lions have just escaped from a moving trailer in Georges Valley, 7km from Tzaneen."
The incident happened at about 17:00 on Sunday.
In an interview with Jacaranda FM, De Jager says he noticed a lion getting out of the trailer and chased after it while driving, also attempting to notify the driver about the danger. He says a third lion was also in the trailer at the time.
De Jager says once the driver came back around, one of the two escape lions had run off into the bushes.
A search operation was soon launched in George's Valley and Makgobaskloof areas, with a notification sent to the Farmer's Association in the area via Whatsapp. One of the two missingg lions was "darted and captured by a qualified vet" within an hour after the incident. The second lion was only found on Monday morning.
De Jager confirmed the second lion was "darted in rainy weather, and our valley is safe again!"
The driver of the vehicle alleged that the lions were transported from one animal enclosure to another. While the intended destination of the lions is unclear, the driver told De Jager that the lions had been "darted that morning (Sunday) in Kruger".
Traveller24 contacted SANParks to confirm if any relocation of lions were planned for Sunday, with William Mbasa saying, "We are not aware of any lions being moved from Kruger, these lions definitely did not come from here."
The origin of the three lions is still being investigated.
Sometimes it’s not until you don’t see what you want to see, that you truly open your eyes.
