A male lion that was on the loose in Nquthu near Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal, was shot and killed yesterday, 17 May.
Authorities were searching for the lion since February, as it continued to terrorise the community and killing their livestock, according to Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Ezemvelo Wildlife.
Dube-Ncube emphasised that killing the animal was the last resort.
‘The lion wiped out any possible reserves they have, as their livestock is part of the economy of rural people. The seriousness of this matter prompted the department, through Ezemvelo Wildlife, to conduct an investigation to determine whether it was necessary to issue a permit to destroy the predator. A permit for depredation was issued to the local farmer, whose livestock was also attacked by the lion. It is the same farmer who killed the lion this morning, as it posed a danger to the community and their livestock.’
Many members of the community spoke out against the killing on social media, asking why the lion could not be darted and relocated.
Professional hunters who spoke to the Northern Natal Courier however said that to ‘relocate a rogue male lion would have been incredibly difficult and would have condemned the lion to a whole lot of fresh trouble’.
It is uncertain where the lion escaped from.
Source: IOL
Image credit: Getaway gallery
