Lioness on the loose in Zululand
|Published
File photo: A lioness walking through the tall grass in the Phinda Private Game Reserve, near Hluhluwe. The wildlife body was unsure where the lioness had come from, but they suspected it had escaped from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. File photo: A lioness walking through the tall grass in the Phinda Private Game Reserve, near Hluhluwe. The wildlife body was unsure where the lioness had come from, but they suspected it had escaped from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.
Durban - A lioness is on the loose, seen prowling farmland in Zululand.
Ezemvelo Wildlife confirmed on Thursday that the mature female predator was spotted on Monday by a farm worker in Heatonville, north of Empangeni. The worker was unharmed.
“We have been in the area and can confirm that the spoor seen in the area resemble those of a lion,” said Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo.
He said the wildlife body was unsure where the lioness had come from, but they suspected it had escaped from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, about 30km north of Heatonville.
Ezemvelo attempted to catch the predator with a lion “call-up” – a process of putting out bait and playing lion roars over speakers – over the past two days, but the big cat did not make an appearance, and no fresh tracks were found.
With no sightings since Monday, Mntambo said the lioness may have wandered back into the park, as animals had been known to do.
The owner of the sugar cane farm where the lioness was spotted, Clive Currie, said he believed she was still on his property.
“I have sent a guy out to look for spoor,” said Currie, adding light rains yesterday made it easier to track the animal.
Currie said he had advised all his employees to stay away from the part of the farm where the lioness was seen, but it was an area where cane needed to be cut next month.
“It is a potential problem, as we need to go into the cane to remove the sprinklers before we burn it,” he said.
Currie said the last time a lion wandered on to his property was 35 years ago. On that occasion it was a male.
Although no attacks or loss of livestock have been reported, Mntambo urged people to be cautious if they came across the animal and to call Ezemvelo immediately if they saw her.
Empangeni-based Ezemvelo rangers Phumla Zulu and Roy Jones can be reached on 072 465 4420 and 082 559 2852. - The Mercury