Sheba died from thirst, anaemia, stress

A POSTMORTEM examination of Sheba, the 13-month-old escapee lioness, has shown she died from dehydration, anaemia and stress.

This was all associated with her escape, Mpongo Private Game Reserve announced in a sombre statement yesterday morning.

The reserve’s spokeswoman, Kirsten Smith, said the lioness was found in a weakened condition just 500m from her enclosure after three nights in the reserve. “Having been roaming in the thick vegetation since Wednesday evening, she was burdened by ticks on her body. She was showing signs of stress, she was pale and dehydrated – the doctor tried CPR on her for 15 minutes ... [but] she was not getting oxygen to the brain and succumbed to her injuries.”

The vet noted that Sheba’s red blood cell count was very low, a condition known as anaemia, partly due to the ticks. “Without a doubt the stress from not being in her enclosure with her brothers and sisters added to her conditions. The doctor maintains that the whole series of events led to her condition.”

Sheba disappeared into thick bush in the 3 200ha reserve by escaping from an enclosure with a 2.7m-high, double 11 000-volt electric fence on Wednesday. A search and rescue team comprising game rangers, an anti-poaching unit and a veterinarian was formed. Sheba was spotted on Friday evening, shot with a tranquilliser and brought to safety.

The four-star reserve, which shares a boundary with the N6 outside East London, said on its Facebook page: “It is with great sadness that we inform the public of the passing of our beloved Sheba late on Friday night.

Greenfields vet Dr Pierre Hensburg said it was always risky to sedate an animal without checking their health status. “But it is difficult in this case of the lioness because sedation is part of the recapturing procedure.” —