Johannesburg – A lioness has escaped from a moving truck in South Africa’s North West province, sparking a safety alert and a ground-and-air search mission, officials said on Thursday.
The animal was one of two being transported in separate crates on the back of the pick-up truck, said Jerry Matebesi, spokesman for the province’s department of economic development, tourism and conservation.
The province was using a helicopter as part of its search for the animal, he added.
Nearby communities have been urged not to “attempt to catch the lion” but to call the authorities, Matebesi said.
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The lioness escaped at around midday on Wednesday, as the Ford Ranger was transporting it between game reserves.
It was on its way to a game farm in Tlakgameng, some 430 kilometres (270 miles) west of Johannesburg, having left a reserve near Setlagole, 90 kilometres to the east.
The lioness’s owner realised it had gone missing when he stopped to check on them during the journey.
The North West province landscape is famed for its game reserves and wildlife.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
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