THE lion that caused chaos in the North West has been found.
The three-year-old male lion was found. It was spotted in the area not far from the goat kraal.
Jan Dlamini claims the lion, that was reported to have escaped from Pilanesberg National Park over a week ago, killed 48 of his goats.
The 70-year-old farmer from Ledig, said he reported to Sun City Police Station on Friday, 18 March about what had transpired.
Dlamini said when he arrived at the kraal in the morning with the stockman, the lion was there.
“23 goats were killed by the lion while one was eaten. I managed to shoot it on the shoulder and it ran off.” He also said he wanted to be compensated for his loss.
North West police spokesman Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed that on 18 March, Dlamini of Ledig reported to the police that a lion killed 23 of his goats at Mahobieskraal grazing area.
Acting Head of Conservations at the Department of Economic Development, Environment Conservation and Tourism Piet Nel confirmed that only 23 goats were killed.
He said on Friday evening, 18 March, Pilanesberg management received a call from the Sun City SAPS station that a man had laid a charge that a lion killed his goats on his farm west of Pilanesberg Nature Reserve.
“The next morning of Saturday, 19 March, rangers were deployed to the site where 23 dead goats in a small enclosure were found,” he said.
“Saturday, 26 March, during another helicopter search of the area, the lion was spotted from the air lying in a clearing not far from the goat kraal.
“It was a three-year-old male lion, and it had a bullet wound which shattered the left front shoulder.
“This lion was most likely involved in a scuffling with another lion or lions and displaced from its territory to the side of the park. Pilanesberg had a severe rain storm a few days before the escaped lion was seen, and it is suspected that it escaped through one of the floodgates that open when streams in the park are in flood.
“The gates are made to open under the weight of debris and water but fall back again when the water subsides. One gate stayed open, and it is suspected the lion escaped through this gate.”
Nel added that all the gates have been checked in the meantime.
“An electrical engineer will also be appointed in the next few days to examine the entire fence.”
