A pride of lions was seen roaming the Foskor phosphate mine on the western boundary of the famous Kruger National Park in the far northeast of South Africa on Friday.

"Employees at Foskor Mine and members of the public are hereby advised to be alert at all times," environment and tourism authorities said in a statement.

Park spokesman Ike Phaahla confirmed: "There is a danger to members of the public who are working in the area," given the "possibility of wildlife-human conflict."

Where did the lions come from?

It was unclear how long the lions had been roaming the area. They are believed to have escaped from the park, and field rangers have been deployed to capture them and release them back into it.

But this was not feasible, because the lions would "continually break out as other dominant lions will chase them out," Phaahla said. "We need to identify a park where they can be taken and establish their own area."

Three of the estimated 1,600 lions in South Africa's Kruger National Park

Lion responsibility

There is also the question of who is responsible for the lions. Phaahla said any animal outside the park "is the responsibility of the provincial authority."

The provincial department of environment and tourism said a meeting of government and park officials had concluded the lions should be captured and released into the Kruger park.

According to Kruger National Park, there are believed to be 1,600 lions in the wildlife protection area.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Lights, camera, action! Now in its third year, The Wild Shots Educational Outreach program has run 32 courses for children in state-run schools around the Kruger National Park in South Africa. So far 292 students — usually around 15 to 17 years old — have taken the course. Here one of the students captured wildebeests on the move.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus A whole new perspective The course consists of five workshops where students learn more about cameras and how to use them manually. After that they get to go on a game drive in order to try out their newly acquired skills — for most of them, it is their first time in a wildlife reserve. Here a student's image of Egyptian geese high in the sky.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Looking into a brighter future? Since the project is based around the famous Kruger reserve — in South Africa's Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces — around half the outings have been in that park. But some students have also been to nearby Sabi Sands, Timbavati and other private reserves. The program aims to show the value in Africa's wildlife.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Snapped in the nick of time For school-based workshops, the students usually only get a single turn in a wildlife park. For residential weekend-long workshops, the young photographers often go on three or four photo shooting safaris. Here a quick-fingered student was able to capture a cheetah trying to blend into its natural background.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Seeing wildlife with different eyes The student outreach project sprung out of the fact that a South African photography conference organizer struggled to find non-white wildlife photographers to speak at their yearly event, not to mention the shocking realization that most kids near Kruger had never visited it. Here a student spotted a curious giraffe.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Waiting for the remarkable The idea is not only meant to just get kids into the nature parks to look at animals — but to look after animals. Through such an introduction to conservation, students can see for themselves that poaching can mean fast money, but nature can be a long-term investment in terms of sustainable jobs in tourism.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Not holding still for anyone The outreach program has received some individual and corporate sponsorship, but is still in its early phase. The organizers want to bring the photography course to more schools and show the students the value and beauty of living in harmony with nature. Here a student captured white-backed vultures on the prowl.

Letting kids bring South African wildlife into focus Big, beautiful and… local The project has caught on and even won South Africa's Kudu Award for best educational program. The program organizers hope to keep developing career awareness for conservation and tourism jobs through mentoring and work experience. Here a student snapped a majestic nyala as it paused for a close-up. Author: Timothy Rooks



jm/rt (AFP, dpa)

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