An escaped lioness has been shot dead in South Korea after an emergency search involving more than 100 police, firefighters and hunters.

The alarm was raised after the owner of a farm in southeastern Goryeong county found the cage empty early on Monday morning.

Dozens of campers nearby were evacuated while the animal, named Sasoonee, was unaccounted for.

The lioness is believed to escaped from the farm through a back door that was left open, according to the country’s Yonhap news agency.

It was killed about an hour later after being found in bushes nearby. Photos released by the fire brigade showed it hiding – and its body after it was shot.

It’s not known whether a tranquiliser dart was first used to try to capture Sasoonee alive.

There were no reports of the lioness attacking anyone, and the owner said it had been fed on Sunday night.

An escaped lioness was reported on the edge of Berlin last month, sparking a major hunt, but authorities later revealed it was actually a wild boar.

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