Mbombela Lion Successfully Darted and Captured, South Africans Thankful It Wasn’t Harmed or Killed

Mbombela Lion Successfully Darted and Captured, South Africans Thankful It Wasn’t Harmed or Killed

  • The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency confirmed that they successfully captured a male lion
  • The lion was recently spotted wandering around the Mbombela area, causing panic among residents
  • Residents are thankful that the lion was not harmed or killed during the capture by officials
The make lion that was recaptured.
Residents are glad that the Mbombela lion was not hurt or killed when he was captured. Image: Nelspruit Concerned Citizens.
Source: Facebook

A lion that was recently roaming around the Mbombela area has been captured.

The big cat had residents of the area on high alert recently after news broke that he was spotted near The Rest Estate.

Joggers, hikers and cyclists, in particular, were all on high alert following the news.

Lion darted and captured

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) has confirmed that the lion was successfully captured at 2am on 2 November 2024. MTPA’s spokesperson, Simphiwe Shungube, said:

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“The lion was darted and captured near the Sekelbos Estate in Mbombela."

The Nelspruit Concerned Citizens (NCC) also took to social media to show appreciation for everyone involved in the successful capture.

They shared a photo of the darted lion so residents could see that the big cat remained unharmed.

Social media glad lion wasn’t hurt

Those who took to social media thanked everyone involved for not hurting the lion, while others joked about its presence so close to their homes.

One man reflected on the photo of the darted lion, saying it looked like it was wearing rugby attire.

Willem Stapelberg joked:

“Did the lion play lock because it still has its scrum cap on?”

Mercia Saayman said:

“I bet there were less break-ins this week😅”

Edward Dyssel added:

“I'm going to go cut the fence somewhere; this kept my week exciting.”

Themby Makhathini said:

“Shame. It must be hungry.🥺But where did it come from? This one remains a mystery. Our streets were quiet for a moment there😂😂”

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Michelle Pretorius added:

“Happy he is safe and unharmed.”

Madison Joceyln Mckenzie:

“I am just so happy that it wasn't killed. Thanks all for not killing it. ♥️”

Phyllis Buitendag:

"Finally safe and sound. Well done, what a blessing. OK let the kids and pets out to play now. Nou gaan ons Braai."

Lion sits in man’s lap

Briefly News previously reported that a man with a lion lying on top of him had South Africans thinking he was testing God.

In a now-viral video, the man shows off a massive lion on his lap, and South Africans can’t get over what they saw.

The video broke the internet, getting over 7 million views, with people noting how the lion was relaxing on him while he brushed it.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Byron Pillay avatar

Byron Pillay (Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za

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