Huge search underway after Lion pride escapes Kruger Park / Watch: 1 of 5 recaptured at Komatipoort

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Huge search underway after Lion pride escapes Kruger Park / Watch: 1 of 5 recaptured at Komatipoort

4:29 CAT | 09 May 2017

Alamy (File photo)

Game rangers, police officers and helicopters were searching sugar cane fields and farms in eastern South Africa on Tuesday for a pride of five lions on the loose after escaping from South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

An electrician from the town of Komatipoort first reported seeing the lions at 5am on Monday close to a filling station on Lebombo Border Post between South Africa and Mozambique.

The cats were later seen taking shelter in a sugar cane field. On Tuesday morning they were spotted again feasting on the carcass of a cow in a they had hunted on a farm near the town of Komatipoort, a police spokesman said.

1 of 5 recaptured at Komatipoort

Meanwhile, SANParks says one of five lions that escaped has been captured at Komatipoort, while a search for the other four continues.

The animals escaped from the park on Monday and were reportedly spotted on the N4 highway late on Monday night, close to the Swaziland border.

Residents have been urged to be vigilant and avoid travelling on foot in the Mananga area.

SANParks spokesperson Rey Thakhuli said: “One of them has been successfully darted and the operation is still very much underway to recover the remaining lions.”

He says the lions have also attacked cattle in the area.

“We can also confirm that cattle has been killed by these animals and we’re really working hard to ensure that we recapture these lions.”