Kudu Ridge welcomes Sylvester the Lion to Addo National Elephant Park!
Last Friday afternoon – just over a week shy of the anniversary of his initial escape from the Karoo National Park – Sylvester, the lion which went on a second walkabout outside the park in March this year, arrived safely at his new home in the Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, the South African National Parks (SANParks) said.
Nicknamed “Sylvester” in the media, the three-and-a-half year old male was successfully relocated from the Karoo National Park just outside Beaufort West to the Addo Elephant National Park’s Kuzuko contractual area about two hours drive outside Port Elizabeth.
“He’ll be calling a boma within an existing 200ha enclosure (which houses two nearly two-year-old lionesses) home for the next few months. The hope is that over time the three will bond and form their own pride, led by Sylvester.”
Sylvester first escaped from the Karoo National Park on June 5 last year and managed to evade capture for over three weeks. He was then fitted with a combination satellite/VHF collar to track his location should he manage to get out again. This collar then alerted authorities on March 28 that he had once again left the park’s boundary, and it played a big role in tracking him and returning him to the park much quicker – three days later on March 31.
The decision to relocate Sylvester was one of several options considered by SANParks and was the one with the most benefits for the lion as well as SANParks’ broader predator management programme.
Thanks South Africa Today – South Africa News for keeping us all posted!
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