Photos taken on Wednesday show the darted lion sprawled out in the cell, surrounded by onlookers. One police officer took advantage of the lion's tranquilized state to take a selfie.
The lion had escaped from the Karoo National Park, 40 kilometers (25 miles) far from the area close to Sutherland where he was found.
South Africa's parks service tweeted that the lion had to wait in the cell until a crate arrived for his transport back to the park.