Search for Sylvester the lion resumes

In a terse statement issued late Wednesday SANParks said it “will be deploying another helicopter to assist in the search for the escaped lion near Karoo National Park”.

SANParks said the search team returned to the park Wednesday evening having located the area where Sylvester was roaming.

“The signal from the collared lion was picked up about 20km west of the Park’s north western boundary. This area is close to where the lion was recaptured last year in June and is quite high up against a cliff.”

On Tuesday the conservation authority initially said the escaped lion would put down because the three-year-old male had become a “problem animal”, but in statement on Wednesday the organisation said euthanising Sylvester was only one of several option being mulled.

It added that there had been a public outcry over plans to put the lion down.

“A statement was released prematurely on Tuesday, 29 March 2016, and SANParks apologises to the public for the incorrect statement, which did not accurately reflect the organisation’s position,” said the conservation authority.

The options being considered were bringing the lion back to the Karoo park and improving the perimeter fence surrounding it, relocating him to another national park, donating him to a state-owned or private conservation body or euthanising him if the damage caused this time “is massive and may include danger to people and/or loss of human life, and massive loss of assets”.

“SANParks would like to make it known to the public that we are dealing with a dangerous and ever changing situation and, as such, decisions related to the capture of the lion will be informed by the situation at the moment of capture.”

Last year when Sylvester escaped from the Karoo National Park in June he killed 30 animals – 28 sheep, a cow and a kudu – sparking a costly three-week search.

On Tuesday, SANParks sent a 14-man tracking team after the lion after he escaped again, presumably by crawling under an electric fence, and headed for the mountains near Beaufort West.

SANParks spokesman Rey Thakhuli said Sylvester had killed a cow on a private farm since escaping this time around, and a helicopter had been called in to help with the search. However, the aerial search had to called off later in the day because of windy conditions.

“Specifically the loss of human life poses an even greater danger as the animal may lose fear for humans and see them as easy prey,” it added.

Sylvester was fitted with an electronic tracking collar after his first escape and two other lions were brought to the park to help integrate him. Last year’s capture operation cost SANParks R800,000.

SANParks warned people not to approach the lion if they spot him.

“People in the local area are asked to exercise extreme caution. SANParks further reiterates that members of the public should not approach the animal.”