Lioness Shot Dead After Escaping From Private Farm In South Korea

About an hour later, police and hunters located the animal in a forest next to the farm and shot it to death, officials said.

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.