Two lions were euthanised in Huntington, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, at about 05:00.

Lowvelder reports they were part of the group that had been spotted in the area last Sunday.

According to Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) spokesperson Simphiwe Shingube, the two lions were euthanised following a week-long joint operation with stakeholders such as SANParks, who had attempted to capture them or drive them back into the Kruger National Park.

“After careful consideration of the damage caused by the lions to the community’s cattle and the difficulty of operating in the dense bush, the lions were to be euthanised. According to the tracks we were following, there were only two lions. There is no sign of the fourth lion, so we are still going to discuss internally if we will continue with the search,” he says.

Shingube thanked the community once again for their patience during the operation. He says the lion that was captured on Thursday is still in the MTPA’s facility and would be released into the wild soon.

He urges the public to inform the MTPA immediately should they spot the fourth lion, warning that community members must not attempt to capture the animal themselves.

The lions were first seen on the tar road between Huntington Village and Elephant Point last Sunday. They were spotted again near Malamule Village at about 07:30 on Wednesday.

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