Teams tracking an escaped lion from the Karoo National Park near Beaufort West are now sleeping out in the veld to get an earlier start in the mornings. SANParks spokesperson, Fayroush Ludick, says the lion turned into a North Westerly direction on Wednesday after moving South for the past few days.
Trackers were on the big cat’s spoor earlier this week, when it killed a sheep, but has moved back into rough terrain.
The lion escaped nearly three weeks ago, after heavy rainfall made it easier for him to dig a hole underneath a fence at the park. Ludick says aerial support has been brought-in
“Since Tuesday the teams have started operating on a rotational basis. They’ve been sleeping out in the veld overnight and tracking for two to three days at a time and then being relieved by another fresher team. This allows them the advantage of tracking later into the night and then starting early again the following morning. Rangers from Camdeboo National Park, which is about 2 and half hours away from the Karoo, have now also gone in to assist,” says Ludick.
