Streetwise lioness must have fled Francistown- DWNP officials
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday January 7, 2015 14:44
The senior wildlife warden at the DWNP office in Francistown, Shepherd Mothi, said that there is a high possibility that the animal could have fled Francistown to neighbouring villages or even further afield.
“Our view is that if the lioness was indeed still in the city, it could have killed one or a few animals, probably cattle in farms around the city, which is usually the case with lions when they are around an area.
“We conducted an extensive search which suggests that the animal is certainly not in the city. We can assure everyone in the city that they are safe, although we remain prepared for any eventuality,” he said,
A member of the public who instantly alerted wildlife officials first spotted the lioness, which was reportedly chaperoning its two cubs, around Donga Extension towards the end of December.
“The footprints in Donga on December 27, the day the animal was spotted were that of a lioness but we failed to locate the animal and capture it,” Mothi confirmed.
The lion was also reported to have been spotted around Selepa four days ago, but Mothi said the footprints found in Selepa belonged to a hyena.
There has been great confusion around the city in recent days with some residents saying that the animal was captured in Selepa while others said that it is yet to be found.
Central police station commander Superintendent Lebalang Maniki, whose station has been helping the DWNP officers, said yesterday that they were on high alert to help capture the animal, if at all it is spotted again in the city streets.