The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) announced on November 2 that a male lion roaming the Mbombela area has been successfully darted and captured. The operation took place at Sekelbos Estate around 2:03 AM.

MTPA spokesperson Simphiwe Shungube expressed gratitude to key stakeholders for their support during the search, thanking Sapphire Blue Drones (Geoffrey and Donald), Chris Smith from Wildlifevets, and the public for their assistance. Together with the MTPA team, they worked diligently to locate, track, and safely move the lion to a holding pen for further management.

The lion was first spotted on security footage near The Rest Estate in Mbombela on October 30, raising concerns for public safety and wildlife management.