Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) has taken swift action in response to reports of two lions, a male and a female, allegedly spotted by three different families in the Nembe area of Northern KwaZulu-Natal (NKZN).
The sighting occurred on Sunday, 16 July 2023, prompting the deployment of field rangers to the uMlazi Municipality to verify the claims.
“Unfortunately, Ezemvelo did not see any lion spoor in the area. However, it is important to note that the Nembe area has a hard surface, making it difficult to detect any spoors,” said the spokesperson for Ezemvelo, Musa Mntambo.
Mntambo explained that the primary objective of the field rangers’ deployment was to confirm the presence of the lions, as well as to track and capture them if necessary.
So far, Ezemvelo cannot confirm or deny the presence of lions. However, Mntambo emphasised that Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP), the nearest game reserve housing lions, is situated over 100 kilometres away from the reported sighting location.
Furthermore, Ezemvelo has not received any reports of lions attacking livestock, making it unlikely for the animals to have travelled such a considerable distance without preying on livestock.
“When lions have left the iMfolozi section of the Park in the past, they have always followed the river, either the White Umfolozi towards oPhathe or the Black Umfolozi up towards Babanango/Vryheid. I highly doubt that the animals seen were lions and doubt even more that, if there were, they would have come from HiP,” elaborated Ezemvelo Ecologist, Dr Dave Druce.
Nevertheless, in light of previous incidents in other provinces involving the illegal keeping of dangerous wild animals as pets and the occasional escape of such animals during transit, Ezemvelo acknowledges the importance of investigating all reports of dangerous wild animal sightings.
“There have also been wild animals that escaped whilst in transit. Thus, Ezemvelo cannot ignore such reports and must investigate any reports of dangerous wild animal sightings,” highlighted Mntambo.
The organisation is urging community members to immediately inform the nearest police station if they hear any lion roars or spot the two reported lions.
“They should also notify Ezemvelo if they find any animal carcasses, as that will allow Ezemvelo to determine if that dead animal was killed by a lion or other wild animals living outside of protected areas. Ezemvelo has the best Game Capture Unit and highly experienced Field Rangers who are today on standby waiting for any update on these lions,” said Mntambo.
As the investigation continues, the collaboration between Ezemvelo, local communities, and authorities remains vital to ensure the safety of both people and wildlife in the region.
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