lion escaped knp mpumalanga

Photo: Twitter/@RiotAndAttackSA

Lion on the loose: MTPA tracking escaped predator in Mpumalanga

A carnivore specialist is leading the search for a young lion that reportedly wandered from the Kruger National Park. The animal was last spotted near Makoko, Mpumalanga.

lion escaped knp mpumalanga

Photo: Twitter/@RiotAndAttackSA

The search for a young male lion who is believed to have escaped from the Kruger National Park (KNP) continues after an ox carcass was found in Makoko, Mpumalanga on Thursday, 28 October. The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) is tracking the animal.

YOUNG LION WANDERED FROM KNP

According to the Lowvelder, the MTPA is on the ground looking for the animal but the rainy conditions in the area recently have had a negative impact on tracking a fresh spoor. The lion was last spotted southwest of the Sabie Sand Game Reserve and an ox corpse was found in the Makoko area, which is where the lion is believed to be.

MTPA carnivore specialist, Gerrie Camacho, said competition from other predators and an increasing lion population in the KNP is what leads to the ‘kings of the jungle’ leaving the area, according to the Lowvelder.

“These lions have no idea that they are on or near human settlements, orchards and cattle, and therefore are more nervous and seem to move much longer distances to try and escape human pressure and foreign terrain in their exploration attempts,” said Camacho.

There is no buffer between the KNP and private and state reserves in the area where the lion was last spotted.

Camacho and the MTPA team continues to monitor the situation on the ground and will provide updates in due course.

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