Escaped lions not an immediate threat: SANParks
As the search for four young male lions continue in Mpumalanga, SANParks says the animals do not at this stage pose an immediate threat to nearby communities.
SANParks' General Manager for Veterinary Wildlife Services, Dr Markus Hofmeyr, briefed the media following the lions' escape from the Kruger National Park on Monday morning.
Hofmeyr says the lions are in the Crocodile Gorge, which is a rugged terrain where there are no people.
"There have been no reports of any livestock killed and there have been no threat to any humans," says Hofmeyr.
Hofmeyr says it's not easy to track down the lions in the terrain.
"They are relying on the spoor to try and follow-up as well as sightings they try and verify," says Hofmeyr.
Meanwhile, Mammal Ecologist for SANParks Dr Sam Ferreira says it's normal for younger male lions to move outside the park.
"When these male lions reach the age of between two to four years, they normally get beaten up by the older male lions. To be honest, if they stay around, they will get killed anyway, so they take their chance," says Ferreira.
Ferreira says there was an estimated 1800 lions in the Kruger National Park in 2015.