Fourteen lions flee to South Africa after escaping from the national park

Fourteen lions escaped from a Northeastern National Park of South Africa.

The public was warned to remain vigilant at all times after the creatures were spotted near the Phalaborwa Foskor Mine near the border with Mozambique.

It is not known how the lions escaped from Kruger National Park, but a government spokesman said the rangers were closely monitoring the animals that would be captured and returned.

One of the largest game reserves in Africa, it is mainly surrounded by a fence.

It is thought that this is the largest number of lions to have escaped at the same time in South Africa.

The news of the flight of lions comes just days after the fall of a leopard in the park.

The leopard had entered the premises of Malelane's technical service and had killed the 30-month-old boy, whose son was a staff member.

Members of his family took him to Shongwe Hospital, but died as a result of his injuries.

The leopard was then found and shot.

The park said in a statement: "In parks such as KNP, predators interact with tourists and staff, which can sometimes cause species like the leopard to get used to people and lose their fear. The change in natural behavior can then lead to unfortunate incidents such as this one.

"These events are very rare, but they are always tragic when they happen."