Residents say a lion is on the loose in Msinga

RESIDENTS in Mashunka in Msinga believe that there is a lion roaming their area, but wildlife authorities could not find any evidence to support their claim.

Fikile Mabaso said she believed that she was chased by a lion while walking through the bush on Sunday. She was on her way to a funeral when she said that she heard a roar.

“I have used this route before so I was not scared. But after walking for some time I heard a roar coming from the left and I saw the trees moving. That’s when I got a fright and decided to run. I remember seeing a light brown animal, but I could not see its face,” Mabaso said.

She said she fractured her ankle while running.

Ezemvelo Kwazulu-natal Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo said this was not the first time residents had claimed to have spotted a lion in that area.

“We first heard about the lion sighting some time around November. We went there but couldn’t find any evidence of a lion. Again on Sunday we were advised of this lion, but we have not seen it nor seen lion spoor. The area is also rocky and this makes it difficult to see spoor in any existence. We are currently not aware of any lion killing in the area,” said Mntambo.

The mayor of Msinga, Mletheni Ndlovu, said they phoned the Society for the SPCA following the claim.

“The SPCA came and did their research and also spoke to the people who claimed to have seen it, and they looked for it, but they could not find it,” said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu said it was confusing because there were no game reserves nearby so it was hard to tell where the lion might have come from.

Councillor Phelelani Dladla of Mashunka area said parents stopped sending their kids to school out of fear, even though no one has been attacked or any livestock eaten.