Lion That Escaped From Nature Reserve Roams Freely As Cars Drive By [Video]

Residents in the northeastern region of South Africa have been on high alert for days since multiple animals, including lions and rhinos, escaped from a national park in KwaZulu-Natal, or KZN. A chilling video that has now gone viral shows a lion casually strolling by the road as cars continue to drive past.

The beast spotted Wednesday on a road near Ulundi in northern KZN is believed to be one among the many that escaped from Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officials said they are tirelessly searching for the escaped animals, with spokesperson Musa Mntambo confirming that there have been no human attacks reported so far, as per local news reports.

However, several cow carcasses were found in the areas where lions have been spotted.

Warning: Graphic images

While it is not clear exactly when the animals broke out of the nature reserve, multiple reports confirmed that there have been incidents of the wildlife escaping into the areas surrounding the park.

Authorities suspect the animals have been escaping from the protected areas through faulty fences.

"There is an opening at the fence caused by illegal soil mining," Mntambo told local news. "We suspect that the lions managed to escape through a hole in that fence."

In July, wildlife rangers killed six lions after they escaped from the park and attacked the cattle owned by locals.

Residents from the nearby communities have reportedly raised numerous complaints to the authorities about wild animals escaping from the park. Earlier in August, the hapless residents protested to show their agitation by breaking into the staff quarters of the park and stealing various items from the site.

In response, KZN Wildlife Conservation Board appealed to people to spare them some time to capture the animals on the loose.

"I have ensured that most of the resolutions adopted during the community meeting are implemented. The areas where we have not started repairing the fence are remote areas that are not easily accessible by vehicles delivering the material. We have put a plan to attend to these areas and we appeal to the community to afford us some time. I also hope that those who took items belonging to our Field Rangers will return them to us."

After all efforts went in vain, residents took the matter into their own hands to fix the fence, the Zululand Observer reported.

The park is about 237,000 acres in area and is home to more than 100 lions. Furthermore, it has one of the world's largest populations of endangered white rhinos.