2023 really has started off with a bang, leading foreigners to believe that wildlife does in fact roam the city streets of South Africa, as a search operation deploys to find yet another escaped lion in Gauteng.
READ: Tiger still on the loose in south Joburg
Picture: GettyImages
At 2 am on Wednesday morning, 8 March an SDS Protection security guard posted a picture of a lion on the R511 in the Hennops area. He warned the local security group to remain on high alert.
The Strategic Response and Rescue Unit (SRU) and SDS Protection were dispatched at 7 am to search along the border of North West and Gauteng, close to the Hennops Hiking Trail.
Arthur Crewe, the SRU spokesperson, told IOL that they will focus most of their efforts on that particular area as that is where they believe the lion is.
Residents have threatened to shoot the big cat should they find it first.
READ: North West escaped lioness shot by farmer
Crewe told The Citizen that progress has been slow as they wait for more information or another sighting. Furthermore, ‘it’s a slow process because during the daytime lions don’t move around, they operate during the night.’
The teams are working very closely with the NSPCA and conservation authorities, who are currently still searching for the owner of the big cat. ‘Facilities in the North West have indicated that they are not missing a lion, and the search is on to establish from where the feline escaped.’
Keshvi Nair, NSPCA spokesperson said they will remain on high alert until the lion has been found. ‘It’s a serious issue, [as] wild animals should not be kept captive, the animal belongs in the wild.’
Picture: Getaway gallery
ALSO READ: South Africa: The world’s largest exporter of big cats… and their parts
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