Missing lion trapped and killed

A lion that reportedly escaped from a Zimbabwean park last week was trapped and killed over the weekend, according to News Day.

Reports on Friday said Zimparks issued a warning to Harare residents after a male adult lion broke out of Lion and Cheetah Park.

Zimparks initially said four lions had escaped, but the other three were immediately captured and caged, the report said.

The missing lion was captured and killed on Saturday, much to the relief of the residents who had gone into panic mode.

"It was killed on Saturday," Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said.

Zimparks said it enlisted the services of a professional hunter "because we felt the lives of members of the community were under threat".

"We had enlisted the services of a helicopter because our objective was to capture it alive, but we had to enlist the services of a professional hunter because we felt the lives of members of the community were under threat."

Residents went into panic mode last week following reports that the lion could not be accounted for, with Zimparks urging people to avoid travelling at night to avoid being attacked by the predator.

Initially, four lions broke out of the park, but three were quickly recaptured and caged.