A lioness under the care of a noted “lion whisperer” in South Africa mauled a 22-year-old woman to death on Tuesday.
Kevin Richardson said on Facebook that he and an “experienced” colleague took three lions for a walk in the Dinokeng Game Reserve when one went after an impala. The lion found the woman a little more than a mile away, he said.
“We assessed the landscape for other big 5 animals and as per procedure sent out a notification that we were walking in the reserve,” Richardson wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “One of the lionesses charged off after an Impala and must have run 2,0 to 2,5 km (1.2 to 1.5 miles) where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car.”
The “big 5” animals is a designation that includes rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion.
The woman died at a tented camp run by Richardson. She had joined a friend who went to the camp for a “school project,” according to spokeswoman Constable Connie Moganedi.
“When they were about to leave, the lioness attacked the young lady,” Moganedi said.
Richardson wrote on Facebook that the woman “was not a guest at the camp, but had accompanied her friend to conduct an interview for an assignment with the camp’s manager.” The two visitors were taking photographs outside the camp when the attack took place, he said.
He added that he was “devastated” by the tragedy.
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