Escaped Lions Tragically Destroyed after Attacking Cattle in Mara Valley
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and SANParks officials received a report that one of the farm owners in the Mara Valley shot one lion and wounded another after a lion killed his cattle. The carcass of the cow was found within the vicinity of the farm. The officials who are currently on site […]
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and SANParks officials received a report that one of the farm owners in the Mara Valley shot one lion and wounded another after a lion killed his cattle. The carcass of the cow was found within the vicinity of the farm.
The officials who are currently on site using the Kruger National Park helicopter managed to find the remainder of the lions close to the carcass of the cow. The team is operating in a difficult and extremely challenging terrain which made darting a difficult option.
“We have a dedicated and experienced team on site that has been working tirelessly to locate and capture these lions. Unfortunately after all efforts were made and the risk of having a wounded lion roaming around, a decision had to be taken to destroy them”, said Mr Abe Sibiya, Head of Biodiversity at MTPA.
For the past few days baits were placed at various strategic points however there has been no progress until today. The team worked under a lot of pressure to ensure that progress was made on this search.
“We would like to thank SANParks officials for providing all the necessary support and resources to assist us in this operation. The continuous alerts received from the farm owners and community in the area assisted the team to be on constant alert” concluded Sibiya.
The community and farm owners are urged to continue to contact SANParks or MPTPA in future if such incidences occur. MTPA 083 626 6792, SANParks on 076 801 9679 or 013 735 0197/4064 or SAPS on 080010111.