Lion escapes from park in South Africa

onnaedo 10:30 - 11 June 2015

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A farmer had reported that he'd found lion tracks on his land, at which point the park's trackers, began following the tracks with the farmer.

If you're headed in the general direction of Karoo, South Africa, you should stay extra vigilant as authorities in the country have reported that a lion has escaped from the Karoo National Park.

Park officials say the 3-year-old male lion apparently left the park on Friday through a rain-eroded hole under a fence and disappeared into "terrain (that) is mountainous, with many river valleys, thus making tracking difficult"

The carcass of a gemsbok, a large antelope, was placed to lure the lion but it didn't appear.

Several trackers on foot and helicopter and a tracking dog (called Bullet) have also joined the search for the elusive lion.

The area, in the Karoo semi-desert, is sparsely populated, while Beaufort West, on the park's edge, has some 34,000 inhabitants.

Lion escapes in South Africa are reportedly rare, unlike Kenya which has an open park system.

Meanwhile, park officials have asked members of the public who may see the lion or any signs of it not to confront it, but rather contact a parks official.