The carcasses of four lions were found at the Rietvlei nature reserve on Friday.
It is believed that the lions were killed the previous night, according to Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo.
“The lions were last spotted roaming in the reserve the night before,” Mashigo said.
“We can confirm they were found dead in the reserve earlier today.”
Mashigo said one of the lions belonged to the reserve while the other three belonged to the Pretoria Zoo.
“The case is being reported to the Lyttleton police station and the matter will be investigated by them.”
Image copyrighted to Big on Wild
The Rietvlei Nature Reserve is located in Pretoria and is about 4,000 hectares in size. Located within the reserve is the Rietvlei Dam
Councillor Dana Wannenburg, the MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management, said in a statement: “Today is a sad day for Tshwane as we report that four lions were killed in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve last night.
“Early this morning conservation officials found the butchered carcasses in the lion enclosure. The jaws and paws of all four lions were removed.
“SAPS were notified and stock theft units were immediately dispatched. While the investigation is in its early stages, it appears that the lions were poisoned and that the body parts were removed for ‘muti’ purposes,” said Wannenburg.
Lion heads, paws and tails are used by some African cultures for traditional medicine known as muti, this is why there has been a rise in lion poaching recently.