NELSPRUIT – The lions roaming the Claremont area were heard on or near a farm about a kilometre off the dirt road on Saturday at dusk.

Ms Riekie Beyleveld, who lives on a plot just before the Claremont turn-off, said she and her family clearly heard them cats at about 18:00.”We could hear the lions roaring. My dad went to put the three donkeys back into their enclosure. We did not want the lions to catch them,” she said.

No sightings of the felines were made since they had first been spotted earlier early last week.

Mr Chris Hobkirk of the MTPA said the lions probably came from the Kruger National Park. He confirmed that three or possibly more lions had been spotted in the Claremont area near town. Two confirmed sightings were reported on Tuesday.

The exact whereabouts of the lions are unknown at the moment and the agency is monitoring the situation. Should the felines be sighted the MTPA will attempt to capture and relocate them. “Destroying the lions will be a last resort,” he said.