Elephants Footprint Lodge
WELCOME TO PANTHEA. 1000+ ITEMS FROM OUR DOOR TO YOUR IN MAX 24HRS.
  • HOME
  • ACCOMMODATION
  • ACTIVITIES
    • NEWSLETTER
  • RESTAURANT
  • BOOKINGS
  • FAQS
  • GALLERY
    • FLOWERS
    • SUNDAYS RIVER
    • THE LODGE
    • ANIMALS
  • CONTACT
Back to top

Karoo lion to move to Addo Elephant National Park

A tribute to a brilliant and brave Karoo lion recovery team, who worked tirelessly to track the missing lion down and return him to Karoo National Park.

I was called to fly to Beaufort West on Tuesday 29 March to assist with the tracking and darting of the escaped lion from Karoo National Park – nicknamed “Sylvester”. When I arrived at the satellite location, the wind strength was on the limits to fly and after one or two attempts to find and dart Sylvester it became too dangerous to continue in the air. It is commendable that the Park Manager and his team of field rangers and tracking staff continued to track Sylvester on the ground. So very brave! It became too dangerous to leave a lion in open territory having already caught a cow.

Two days later in perfect weather I returned to the satellite marked area, but Sylvester continued to hide. I landed the helicopter nearby whilst the tracking team, along with the SANParks veterinarian, proceeded to walk through the Valley (“of Death” – ha ha) in an attempt to chase Sylvester out of the bush. What an event it was when Sylvester suddenly arose and fortunately ran away from his trackers with a loud roar which was audible across the valley.

The vet raced up to the helicopter, but by the time he got to me I had just seen Sylvester disappear around a mountain a mile away. We took off and continued to search from the air for another thirty minutes and were absolutely delighted when he spotted Sylvester racing up the mountainside, where he was immediately darted from the helicopter before he had any chance to disappear.

What an “A Team” consisting of the Park Manager, field rangers, trackers and veterinarian, whom I was proud to air transfer to the different locations on the mountain in order to find Sylvester. The team fearlessly chased Sylvester on foot from his hiding place, and once he was darted, they carried his immobilized 240kg mass to a spot from where he could be safely transported back to the Park.

This was a true act of bravery.

Pilot John Huddlestone

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Rooms

  • Deluxe Double Room
  • Deluxe Twin Room
  • Luxury Family Room
  • Honeymoon Suite

 South African Rand Converter

Weather Forecast

Elephants Footprint Lodge (Click Here For Extended Forecast)
19th February 2019, 12:43 pm
Intermittent clouds
Intermittent clouds
28°C
real feel: 31°C
current pressure: 1010 mb
humidity: 62%
wind speed: 11 km/h S
wind gusts: 14 km/h
UV-Index: 4
sunrise: 5:56 am
sunset: 7:05 pm
Less forecast...
Forecast 20th February 2019
day
Intermittent clouds
Intermittent clouds
29°C
wind speed: 18 km/h SW
wind gusts: 29 km/h
max. UV-Index: 8
Forecast 21st February 2019
day
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
26°C
wind speed: 11 km/h S
wind gusts: 18 km/h
max. UV-Index: 3
Forecast 22nd February 2019
day
Partly sunny
Partly sunny
30°C
wind speed: 7 km/h ESE
wind gusts: 14 km/h
max. UV-Index: 8
Less forecast...
More forecast...
 

Elephants Footprint Lodge

Discover the ‘Big Seven’ in the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, Lion, Leopard, Black Rhinoceros, Buffalo & the African Elephant.

Now also the two marine animals, the Great White Shark and the Southern Right Whale, which frequent the perimeters of the park.

Get In Touch

CALL RECEPTION +27 (0) 41 468 0499
CALL CELLULAR +27 (0) 83 951 38 11
MAIL info@elephantsfootprint.co.za

SOCIALIZE

facebook

Trip Advisor

  • TripAdvisor

2017

Afri Stay
Elephants Footprint Lodge in Colchester has been named a Best Value Establishment.

Wordpress ThemesPowered by Your Inspiration Themes

  • Faq
  • Privacy Policy
  • Get Support
  • Testimonials