The owners of East London’s Lion Park have offered a R10000 reward for the arrest of whoever cut their fencing.
A fuming Mark Johnson said if the culprits had cut the fence in a slightly different spot, adult lions or Bengal tigers could have escaped.
They could have wreaked havoc in the Thorn Park farming area close to the Ducats residential settlement.
“If ... they walked just five minutes further, they could have cut the lion fence,” he said. “This could have caused the electrical fence to short, allowing the lions to escape.
“And to find a lion in this bush is another story.”
Johnson said he was afraid “weekend hunters”, with permission to shoot duiker and other wildlife on private land in the area, could have shot some of his nyala or impala.
He had not been able to establish how much of his game was missing because the animals take shelter in deep bush in the valleys in cold weather.
He and his wife Wendy first realised something was wrong when a vet friend called them on Monday to say he had been asked to dart five or six nyala at a cattle farm near Lion Park ahead of the animals being moved to another farm.
“The vet called us because he knows we keep nyala. Wendy immediately tried to call the farmer but couldn’t reach him and when she went to see the nyala at his farm he was not home. “He could have let us know and asked if they are ours. We think he is selling them.”
While his wife was trying to view the nyala, Johnson rushed to check the perimeter fence and was shocked to find cuts in three places.
“The fence is 2.4m high and it was cut about 1.6m down and peeled right back to open a hole for the animals to move through.
“This is not just people who cut a small hole and put in a snare, which is an endless, ongoing battle all over.
“We have been hearing shots in the distance, but this is normal during hunting season.
“Weekend hunters sometimes come with their bakkies, coolboxes and staff and shoot duikers, bushbuck and anything that moves.
“There is nothing stopping them shooting our game ,” said Johnson, who immediately repaired his fencing. “It makes me mad because we have kept 20 nyala and 30 impala for eight years.”
Police Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said a case of malicious damage to property had been opened on Monday. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Lions Park owners irate over cut fence
A fuming Mark Johnson said if the culprits had cut the fence in a slightly different spot, adult lions or Bengal tigers could have escaped.
They could have wreaked havoc in the Thorn Park farming area close to the Ducats residential settlement.
“If ... they walked just five minutes further, they could have cut the lion fence,” he said. “This could have caused the electrical fence to short, allowing the lions to escape.
“And to find a lion in this bush is another story.”
Johnson said he was afraid “weekend hunters”, with permission to shoot duiker and other wildlife on private land in the area, could have shot some of his nyala or impala.
He had not been able to establish how much of his game was missing because the animals take shelter in deep bush in the valleys in cold weather.
He and his wife Wendy first realised something was wrong when a vet friend called them on Monday to say he had been asked to dart five or six nyala at a cattle farm near Lion Park ahead of the animals being moved to another farm.
“The vet called us because he knows we keep nyala. Wendy immediately tried to call the farmer but couldn’t reach him and when she went to see the nyala at his farm he was not home. “He could have let us know and asked if they are ours. We think he is selling them.”
While his wife was trying to view the nyala, Johnson rushed to check the perimeter fence and was shocked to find cuts in three places.
“The fence is 2.4m high and it was cut about 1.6m down and peeled right back to open a hole for the animals to move through.
“This is not just people who cut a small hole and put in a snare, which is an endless, ongoing battle all over.
“We have been hearing shots in the distance, but this is normal during hunting season.
“Weekend hunters sometimes come with their bakkies, coolboxes and staff and shoot duikers, bushbuck and anything that moves.
“There is nothing stopping them shooting our game ,” said Johnson, who immediately repaired his fencing. “It makes me mad because we have kept 20 nyala and 30 impala for eight years.”
Police Lieutenant-Colonel Mtati Tana said a case of malicious damage to property had been opened on Monday. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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