Lioness Shot Dead After Escaping From Private Farm In South Korea

An endangered lioness was shot dead by hunters in South Korea on Monday, just an hour after it escaped a  privately owned farm in North Gyeongsang Province, CNN reported. The incident came to light on Monday morning when the owner of the farm found the cage empty and reported the matter to authorities.

It is believed that the lioness, named Sasoonee, broke out of its cage and escaped through a back door of the farm that was left open. The escape triggered an extensive search operation that involved 127 police officers, 26 fire department personnel, civilian hunters, and emergency workers.

Authorities also issued an alert urging residents to stay away from nearby Bukdu Mountain and evacuated dozens of campers from a nearby camping area.

About an hour later, police and hunters located the animal in a forest next to the farm and shot it to death, officials said. Authorities decided to kill the animal because it was in a position capable of running to residential areas. Meanwhile, an anesthetic gun would take time to sedate her. 

Two rounds of bullets were shot to kill the lioness, the hunters said. However, there were no reports of the lioness attacking anyone.

The private farm also owns cows, but has no other lions or lionesses, said the county official.

The lion was the latest animal to escape from captivity in South Korea in recent months, as per Reuters.

Notably, the lioness had been registered with the Daegu Regional Environmental Office as an internationally endangered species, an official from the agency confirmed to CNN.

Lions are currently listed as ''vulnerable'' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.