A lioness was shot dead in the North Gyeongsang provincial county of Goryeong on Monday, about an hour after it was found to have fled the private tourist animal farm where she lived.

According to local police and fire authorities, the farm owner reported at around 7:24 a.m. that the lioness had broken out from her cage, prompting the county to send out text message warnings to residents about the escape some 20 minutes later.

The lioness was found at around 8:34 a.m. in a forest 20 to 30 meters away from its cage and was shot dead by locally-registered hunters.

The animal, named Sasun, reportedly escaped through a back door after the farm manager failed to lock it.

While the farm was not authorized to raise lions, the owner, who claimed to have taken over the facilities a year ago, said their request to donate or lease the animal to a zoo or a similar facility had been rejected.