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14 lions escape nature park in South Africa

08 June 2019 00:10 (UTC +04:00)

A pride of 14 lions has escaped from a game reserve in the northeast of South Africa, prompting authorities to warn residents to be careful, ONA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.

Authorities said they suspect the lions escaped from the Kruger National Park, the country’s largest game reserve.

The lions were sighted roaming around the Phalaborwa Foskor Mine in Limpopo province near Mozambique.

“At the moment we have allocated field rangers to closely monitor the pride’s movement prior to action being taken,” Zaid Kalla, spokesman for the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, told Anadolu Agency via telephone on Friday.

“Rangers are tracking where these lions escaped from, but 76% of the Kruger National Park is located in Limpopo province,” he said.

Kruger National park is one of the largest game reserves on the continent.

“Employees at Foskor Mine and members of the public are hereby advised to be alert at all times,” the Limpopo government warned in an earlier statement posted on Twitter.

The Limpopo government said it has held a meeting with the Kruger National Park and another stakeholder concluding that the lions are to be captured and released at Kruger National Park.

The news of the lions escape comes barely two days after a leopard killed a two-year-old boy at the Kruger National Park.

According to a statement, the leopard managed to get through a fenced area of the park and mauled the boy who belonged to an employee of the park.