Hunting dogs help catch one of three escaped lions in KZN

Hunting dogs in northern KwaZulu-Natal have helped catch one of three lions that escaped from an unidentified enclosure in the region.

The wild animals were spotted in the Gluckstadt community, southeast of Vryheid, on January 17 and were reported to have killed livestock in the area.

An Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife search team and another led by a professional hunter began searching later that day but weren't able to find the lions.

Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo confirmed they made a breakthrough on Monday.

“Yesterday [Monday] a team comprising various government departments and private organisations, including those with professional hunting dogs, managed to destroy one of the three lions living in the bush in the Gluckstadt area. The search team consisted of ground and airborne forces,” he said.

“The lion was destroyed after a successful tracking effort by the dogs, which traced the lions’ movements.”

Mntambo said the dogs were following the trail of the animals when two of the lions emerged.

“During the chase, a third lion appeared nearby and the dogs shifted their focus to it, allowing the professional hunters to destroy it. The remaining two lions escaped into nearby bushes, prompting the team to halt the search until the next sighting.”

Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize commended efforts of the non-government organisations which helped in the search and used their own resources. He said he sympathised with community members who lost their livestock to the lions.

“I know their spirits are crushed, as their livelihoods depend on their livestock. We empathise with them. The process of assessing the extent of their losses will begin shortly. I appeal to the community to co-operate with our conservation officers once the process begins,” he said.

“In the meantime, I urge them to continue bringing their livestock home in the evenings to prevent further losses.”

Ezemvelo appealed to locals to continue being vigilant and alert traditional leadership, the police or Ezemvelo district conservation officer Lucky Zulu on 082-945-4255 if they spot the remaining lions.

TimesLIVE