South Africa says lion that escaped twice to be relocated

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa's wildlife agency says it will relocate a lion that twice escaped from a national park, a reprieve from earlier considerations to kill him — plus he gets two girlfriends at his new home.

Named Sylvester, the lion earned the nickname Spook — Ghost in the Afrikaans language — after escaping from the park and eluding searchers for more than three weeks in 2015. He was captured in a search that cost more than $54,000 before escaping again in March.

The South African National Parks Tuesday said the lion will be relocated to the vast Addo Elephant National Park, hoping it will bond with two young female lions in an enclosure.

The wildlife agency labelled the cat a "problem animal" and considered euthanizing him after his second escape.