On Monday, hunters in South Korea shot and killed an endangered lioness that had escaped from a privately held farm in North Gyeongsang Province.
The incident was discovered on Monday morning when the farm’s owner discovered the cage empty and reported it to authorities.
The lioness, named Sasoonee, is thought to have fled through a back door of the farm that had been left unlocked. The escape prompted a massive search including 127 police officers, 26 fire department personnel, private hunters, and emergency professionals.
Authorities also issued a warning to locals to avoid adjacent Bukdu Mountain, and dozens of campers were evacuated from a nearby camping location.
Officials stated that around an hour later, police and hunters found the animal in a nearby woodland and shot it to death. Authorities chose to kill the animal because it was able to flee to residential areas. Meanwhile, it would take time for an anesthetic pistol to sedate her.
The lioness was killed with two rounds of ammunition, according to the hunters. However, no one was attacked by the lioness.
According to the county authority, the private farm also owns cows but no other lions or lionesses.
The lion was the most recent animal to escape from captivity in South Korea.
Notably, the lioness had been listed as an internationally endangered species with the Daegu Regional Environmental Office.
Lions are now classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Also read: Taiwan Declares “Will Never Back Down To China’s Threats”
