Escapee lion disappears off face of the earth

The lion spotted crossing a road close to the Hennops hiking trail last week has vanished.

Last week, security teams searched the area where the animal was spotted – and the surrounding areas bordering Gauteng and North West.

But in vain. Arthur Crewe, from Strategic Response and Rescue Unit, said the team was standing down until a new sighting was reported.

Crewe and the team started searching for the lion after a photo of the animal circulated among security groups.

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Where is the lion?

“I’m very disappointed as there can be many options of where it can be. I don’t like all the options but we have been searching for the lion since Wednesday morning.

We will continue with our normal training until we get a positive sighting again,” he said.

Crewe said he hasn’t received any new reports of sightings, or found any new paw prints. It was still unclear who the wild animal belonged to, where it was kept or how it escaped.

The lion was first spotted in the early hours of Wednesday morning by a protection officer who patrols the area.

“At 2am a security officer patrolling the area spotted the lion on the R511 in the Hennops area. He saw the lion cross the road and snapped a photo and posted it on various groups. The area is just too big. We don’t know where the lion came from.”

Crewe said if they knew where the lion had escaped from, it would have helped them trace and locate it.

No new sightings

Crewe said he hasn’t received any new reports of sightings, or found any new paw prints. It was still unclear who the lion belonged to, where it was kept or how it escaped.

The lion was first spotted in the early hours of Wednesday morning by a protection officer who patrols the area.

“At 2am a security officer patrolling the area spotted the lion on the R511 in the Hennops area. “He saw the lion cross the road and snapped a photo and posted it on various groups,” he said.

“The area is just too big. We don’t know where the lion came from.” Crewe said if they knew where the lion had escaped from, it would have helped them trace and locate it.

The lion was the third wild animal to escape this year. In January, Sheba the tiger was shot after she escaped in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.

Shortly afterwards, a second tiger was spotted on CCTV foot.

Escapes

The lion was the third wild animal to escape this year.

In January, Sheba the tiger was shot after she escaped in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg. Shortly afterwards, a second tiger was spotted on CCTV footage roaming the parking lot of an office park in Edenvale and later reportedly located, sedated and removed to a sanctuary.

National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) spokesperson Keshvi Nair said a wild animal on the loose was a massive concern.

“Wild animals should not be kept captive. The animal belongs in the wild for the safety of humans and the animals,” she said.

High alert

Nair said the NSPCA was working with the Tshwane SPCA and would remain on high alert until the beast was located.

SPCA Tshwane manager Andrew Kekana said: “Relevant authorities are trying to trace the lion. Tshwane SPCA is on high alert and following up on any information reported.

The public should be very vigilant and report any sighting of the escaped lion to the SPCA, SA Police Service, or any relevant authority,” he said.

Tshwane SPCA can be contacted on 083-453-3863 or 082-8075671.

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