Lion on the loose in North West found and shot by farmer
The lion that escaped while being transported in the North West on Wednesday, has been shot and killed.
Lion found and shot
This was confirmed by the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism on Friday.
The department said the female lion was found by a farmer in a residential area. The farmer “took a decision to shoot the lioness”, it said.
The lion was found in the Piet Plessis area of the Dr Ruth Mompati District.
Lion escaped
The lioness escaped from its container while being transported on the back of a Ford Ranger bakkie. It was in transit from Leeubosch to Tlakgameng.
The owner of the lion only realized that it had escaped when he arrived in Tlakgameng and saw the big cat was no longer in its enclosure.
Speaking to the publication on Thursday, Jerry Matebes from the Department of Economic Development, Conservation, and Tourism in the North West, said two lions were being transported at the time of the escape.
“The owner of the two lions discovered a female lion had escaped as he stopped to check on the animals,” he said.
A rescue mission was launched with a helicopter being used to try locate the lion. Matebes urged the community not to try capture the animal but rather contact the department or the police.
Tigers on the loose
The lion’s escape comes just weeks after tigers were seen roaming the streets of South Africa in two separate incidents.
The first tiger, Sheba, was seen in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg, after escaping its enclosure on a smallholding at Walker Fruit Farm. Sheba was also shot dead when found.
The second tiger was on the loose in Edenvale, east of Johannesburg. It was allegedly captured by private security company SOS SA. The security company, however, refused to share information about the captured big cat, even with the SPCA and the police. The safety and whereabouts of the big cat are still uncertain.
In other news – Tipcee speaks on rumours she’s broke after allegedly dumping DJ Tira
South African singer Tipcee has responded to rumours of being down and out telling a local publication that the rumours are false. Following a report from ZiMoja, Tipcee started trending with sources alleging that she is broke after leaving Tira’s Afrotainment. The dancer said they are nothing but false rumours and that she is still signed to Tira’s label.
Speaking to the online publication, Tipcee said, “No it’s not true, and I’m dropping a single soon, and then an EP. The rumours have been trending since yesterday. There was this one friend of mine who was stirring up trouble.” Learn More
