BREAKING NEWS: Lioness on the loose in the North West

The search is on for a missing lioness that had been inside a container on the back of a bakkie when she broke free and escaped.

By: Thabo Baloyi

Gird your loins, South Africa – there’s another lion on the loose! More than a month since Sheba the tiger escaped from an enclosure in Johannesburg, another wild cat is roaming around, this time in the North West, News24 reports.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the North West, a lioness had been inside a container on the back of a bakkie when it broke free and escaped. The Ford Ranger bakkie was driving on the Beesdam road between Stella and Tlakgameng on Wednesday morning, 22 February 2023.

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SEARCH IS ON FOR MISSING LIONESS IN NORTH WEST

SAPS North West spokesperson Captain Aafje Botma said the owner of the now missing lioness made the discovery after reaching his destination. For now, nature reserve workers and farmers are on the lookout for the wild cat.

In January, a tiger named Sheba escaped from an enclosure and was later discovered in the wee hours near some houses on the Arboretum Farm at Walkers Fruit Farms. The tiger was “put down” and had reportedly also killed another animal on the property. Just days before her capture, Sheba had attacked a man and killed two animals.

According to the Walkerville Community policing forum representative Gresham Mandy, they couldn’t contain Sheba because of the terrain and so a decision was made to euthanise her.

“At 03:45, the decision was made to euthanise her while it was still safe to do so. Unfortunately, at that moment in time, darting her was not an option. Sheba had moved during the night across the hills to the west side of Fruit Farms, bringing her close to livestock and other residents in a more densely populated area. This was not an easy decision to make at the time, and the safety of the community of Walkers Fruit Farms was a priority,” Mandy further said to News24.