Lion captured near Mpumalanga town

A young male lion, believed to have been separated from his mother, was caught before he could attack residents or be killed near Marloth Park next to the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga.

The lion was first spotted on April 11 by some local farmworkers who alerted their manager, who also confirmed that it was lion judging from the tracks he had discovered.

According to Gerrie Camacho, a carnivore scientist of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA), they received a call that a lion had been seen in the area but had disappeared into the bush.

“It was spotted again on April 12 near the dust road off Marloth Gate 4, towards the N4. It was found the following morning sleeping in the grass nearby. We secured the area and made sure that no members of the public were walking by.

“The lion was darted; however, it was in poor condition and too young to be alone. Judging from its age, we believe that it had been separated from its mother either because it could not keep up or while they were crossing a river.

“It was taken to wildlife vets in Mbombela for further check-ups to see if it had any diseases,” he says.

Camacho says no attacks were reported and the young male had no signs of injuries. The MTPA is grateful that it was safely removed from the public before it was killed or could attack humans.