A lioness has escaped during loadshedding in the early hours of Friday morning near Ventersburg in die Free State.
The police have warned residents to be careful.
According to Capt. Stephen Thakeng, police spokesperson, at about 04:00 on Friday the police was informed that a lioness escaped due to loadshedding from a wildlife enclosure about 5 km from Ventersburg towards Virginia.
The search begun and all neigbouring stations have been activated to help with the search. By Friday afternoon, with the help of volunteers, the SPCA, farmers and also a private helicopter, they were still looking for the escaped lion.
According to residents, the lioness escaped from the Tara Wildlife Lodge. The lioness apparently was able to escape because the electrified gate was out of order due to load shedding and could not serve its purpose of keeping the animals inside.
The search is still ongoing. Ernest Khakhau, an inspector of the SPCA in Virginia confirmed that a lioness had escaped, but said they had no information yet, and that there would be more clarity by Monday.
Residents are requested to notify the nearest police when they see the one-year-old lioness, or to phone the Crime Stop number at 08600-10111.
