update (24 Jan 2017): Sylvester, South Africa's most talked about lion, his coalition partner, the younger male he has been bonding with in the boma since May 2016 and in the 200 hectares enclosure since November 2016, as well as the two lionesses the two lions had been in the enclosure with, have been succesfully released into the Kuzuko contractual area (15000 hectares) in Addo Elephant National Park'.
South Africa's most famous lion was moved out of the holding boma in Addo Elephant National Park's Kuzuko contractual area into a larger 200ha enclosure. The lion, nicknamed "Sylvester", got relocated into the boma from Karoo National Park at the end of May 2016.
Sylvester and his coalition partner, the younger male he's been bonding with in the boma since May 2016, joined up with the two females on the enclosure. According to South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson Fayroush Ludick, the decision to let the two male lions out was based on Addo Elephant National Park management's opinion that the two had settled and bonded sufficiently in order to start a new coalition and lead Kuzuko's pride in future. Addo Elephant National Park's management will monitor the situation over the next days and weeks, paying particular attention to their social interaction, before making a decision about when to release the four lions into the entire 15 000 hectares of Kuzuko.
Sylvester gained popularity when he first escaped from Karoo National Park in June 2015, and managed to evade capture for over three weeks. He was then fitted with a combination satellite/VHF collar to find his location should he manage to get out again. This collar then alerted authorities on 28 March 2016 that the lion had once again left the park's boundary, and played a big role in tracking him and returning him back to the park much quicker – three days later on 31 March 2016.
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