A wandering lion made its way out of the Karoo National Park and into Beaufort West on 15 February. This is not the first time a lion has decided to explore outside of its territory in the little town – in 2016 another lion escaped the park under a perimeter fence.
The lion was first spotted along the northern boundary of the Karoo National Park on Friday and residents were warned of a lion on the loose by the town’s tourism social media pages. The lion’s presence in town meant residents who were partaking in a local marathon were forced to change their route. Other travellers in the area have also been warned to be extra wary and on the lookout for the big cat.
Please take extra care when hiking or cycling close to the Karoo National Park. An escaped lion was first spotted on the northern boundary of the Karoo National Park on Friday 15 February 2019#SANParks #Karoo #Beaufortwest @IngeDykman @VisitLaingsburg @PAtourism @alanwinde
— Visit Beaufort West (@Beauforttourism) February 18, 2019
A team from SANParks has been dispatched to search for the lion that remains on the loose. A fresh spoor was found on Monday, 18 February, according to SANParks Communications GM, Reynold Thakuli. The search, however, had to be called off for the evening.
Karoo lion update!
Finally a new spoor was found yesterday at 16:30 about 6 km from parks NE boundry #Lion #Karoo #Beaufortwest #SANParks @alanwinde @VisitLaingsburg @IngeDykman @judylain @PAtourism— Visit Beaufort West (@Beauforttourism) February 19, 2019
Two neighbouring farms are currently being searched as the lion is believed to have made its way through these over the weekend. The public has been asked to report any sightings of the lion to local authorities so that it can be safely relocated back to the Karoo National Park.
Image source: Unsplash
