UPDATE: Stray lions in KZN leave terror and partially devoured carcasses in their wake

On Thursday morning, hunters were and still are in pursuit of two lions that were spotted in the vicinity of Hennie’s Garage in Gluckstad, just outside Vryheid.

Farmer owners and dwellers in the Gluckstadt area say the lions that are on the loose near Vryheid have left partially devoured carcasses and terror in its wake, Vryheid Herald reports.

One of the game farms where the lions were sighted, is accommodating researchers from a Swiss University, who are studying the behavior of vervet monkeys towards their doctoral degrees.

The owner of Mawana Game Farm, Marilize Roelofse, expressed fear for the safety of her international guests and hopes the lions will soon be found.

“The lions appeared on our farm more than a month ago,” said Mrs Roelofse.

“We suspect that they may have escaped from the Hluhluwe Game Reserve but we are not sure. They have attacked cattle on one of the neighbouring farms and our workers who spotted the lions are so afraid that we have to fetch them in a vehicle from their homes, bring them to work and drop them off again in the evening. We did contact the Parks Board and they have sent a team to look for the lions but couldn’t find them.”

The owner of the neighbouring farm declined to comment but confirmed that he had lost three head of cattle, which were partially devoured by the lions. He has seen lion spoor on his farm, and his herdsmen have sighted the lions on more than one occasion.

Christo Carolus, a farmer who has joined the search for the lions, complained that he had contacted Ezemvelo Wildlife on three difference occasions in the past two months but nothing had been done.

“Even now, Ezemvelo is not here. It is only the farmers, the hunters and the police who are looking for the lions. This situation is now becoming critical. People are losing cattle. Just now, we lose a life. Shooting them is something I do not want to do, but it may be necessary,” he said.

Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing, Musa Mntambo, said that Ezemvelo had received reports that people had sighted lions near Vryheid.

“Our conservationists have gone out with drones to look for them but could not find them. Our conservationist from Newcastle, Zodwa, is on her way there with a team. If the lions are found in a place where there are a lot of people, they may have to be put down for safety reasons. Otherwise, we will tranquilise them and rehome them. We will assess what needs to be done when we find them.”

Mr Mntambo said he was not aware of where the lions had escaped from.

Vryheid residents have taken to social media to express their hopes that the lions are rehomed instead of put down.

Local animal activist, Shane Raw, commented, “If they are not posing any threat then all attempts need to be made to capture them and re-home them, instead of shoot them. For a long time, lions were not a target of poaching but that changed recently with the lion bone trade similar to the rhino horn trade.”

“In China, they make wine using lion bones which supposedly has some medicinial properties. The bottom line is that the lion population is under threat. This is due to a decrease in protected areas and available habitat, and now there is a poaching threat as well, and then you have the unethical hunting industry. We need to save the lions if we can.”

Initially this morning, the lions were sited confirmed by the police too.

Captain Nkosie Gwala, the polce communications officer for the Zululand Cluster, said the lions were seen crossing the road at about 5am by a truck driver, who immediately reported the sighting to the Vryheid police to warn the public to be cautious.

“The matter is being dealt with by professional hunters with the correct permits,” said Captain Gwala.

“Members of the community should please contact the SAPS on 034 989 5506 if they see the lions.”

Mundus van Niekerk, of the Gluckstad farming community, is among those who are searching for the lions. At about 9.30am, Mr Van Niekerk informed the media that the hunters had come across spoor that looked like that of a lion, and they were hopeful of finding the lions soon.

A Gluckstad farmer who asked not to be named said the lions may have escaped from a nearby game reserve and have been wandering in the area for nearly two months.

“The hunters in the area obtained the correct permits to shoot the lions after stories emerged that the lions were attacking and killing cattle on the farms,” he said.

However the hunt is still underway.