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A male lion that had escaped from the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga on Sunday morning has been recaptured, the South African National Parks (SANParks) said.
The lion was spotted by passersby on the N4 from Crocodile Bridge towards Hectorspruit. It caused quite a scene with motorists stopping to take pictures and videos of the king of the jungle.
According to Netwerk24, the lion was seen casually strolling along the N4 in the direction of Hectorspruit.
It had also been spotted by wildlife enthusiasts who were on their way to Crocodile Bridge or Malelane gates, via the N4, according to the Latest Sightings website.
Latest Sightings is a platform for visitors who are on a safari at the Kruger and Pilanesberg national parks to report the animals and events that they see in real time. Users report their location, time and sighting to Latest Sightings, which in turn broadcasts these "tings" (a reported sighting) to other app-users and also over various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram.
SANParks spokesperson Isaac Phaahla told News24 that the lion had been recaptured before 13:00.
Phaahla said the lion was captured by the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Board employees with the assistance of SanParks.
"If an animal gets out of the Kruger National Park, we call our colleagues from the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Board and they are the ones who go and look out for the animal and if they need assistance they call us and we help them with whatever needs they want and then they take it back to the park. Our responsibility as SanParks is only within the boundaries of the Kruger National Park and then outside it becomes a provincial responsibility," said Phaahla.
