WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: UPDATE: Four suspects sought for lion poaching in the north
“The encampment is full of meat which has been laced with poison. We had to burn the carcasses because they were full of poison.”
A search is on for four suspects who were allegedly involved in the poaching of six lions in the north of Pretoria.
One of the suspects is known to the management of the zoo.
A R250 000 reward has been posted for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects.
Owner of Mystic Monkeys & Feathers Christa Saayman said she was awoken at around 05:00 on Saturday by police after four suspects had been spotted near the lion camp.
When the police arrived the four suspects managed to go further into the bushes and managed to escape.
The area has been struggling with crime in the past and it was first thought that a nearby Eskom station had been the target of the suspects.
“Initially we didn’t expect that they were doing anything with the lions,” says Saayman.
It was only later that it was discovered that six lions had been poisoned and their heads and paws cut off.
Saayman’s workers screamed in fear and shock when they found the lion carcasses.
“They didn’t fire a single shot. The camp is full of meat which has been laced with poison. We had to burn the carcasses of the lions because they were full of poison,” said Saayman.
The poison used was “Two-Step”.
It appears the suspects climbed over the electrified gate and knew their way around the encampment.
The zoo is situated between Pretoria and Bela Bela near the Rust de Winter nature reserve.
ALSO READ: WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Six lions poisoned north of Pretoria
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