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UPDATE | WATCH: Man steals lion cub, spotted playing with it in Middelburg
Residents expressed their fears of the baby big cat posing a danger to children in the area.
A screengrab of the video showing a man playing with a stolen lion cub.
A video made the rounds on social media over the weekend, showing a man in Mhluzi playing with a lion cub.
The man has since been arrested, shortly after it was reported that two lion cubs were stolen from Pienaardam luxury resort, reports Middelburg Observer.
The video, which shows the man playing with the cub in Mhluzi, was uploaded to Facebook.
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The suspect is alleged to be part of a syndicate that involves stealing lions from across the country.
Gerrie Gerrits, owner of Pienaardam, confirmed that the lion cub on the video was indeed one of the two cubs who were stolen at the resort in the early hours of Thursday morning.
In the video, the person who captured the footage can be heard saying that this is the man that brought the lion cub into the Phumula extension.
He said the cub must be taken away, citing fears that the cub may present a danger to children in the area.
Ironically, no consideration was given to the cub’s well-being. It has been confirmed that the cub is still missing.
This article was translated from Afrikaans.
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