South Africa: Lion attacks visitors at animal reserve

(Baonghean.vn) - A 22-year-old American female tourist died at an animal amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday, June 1, after being attacked by a lion there.

“Her car drove into the lion enclosure with the windows open,” Scott Simpson, the area manager for Lion Park, told Radio Talk 702. “A lion jumped through the window and bit the unfortunate female tourist. An ambulance was quickly called but she died.” The victim’s companion was also seriously injured while trying to rescue the victim, Radio Talk 702 reported.

This theme park is one of Johannesburg’s most popular family attractions, located less than an hour’s drive from the city centre. Here visitors can pet lion cubs, feed giraffes or host birthday parties in the wild.

Lion Park Reserve in Lanseria, South Africa

However, questions about the park’s safety have been raised as a series of incidents have occurred among visitors. In March, an Australian tourist was attacked by a lioness while driving a car with the windows open. Two days after the incident, a 13-year-old boy living nearby was attacked by a leopard while riding his electric bike.

It is known that this park is currently home to 85 lions, including the relatively rare white lion. The idea of ​​the park is to allow visitors to approach these wild animals at a "very close" distance, observing their activities. However, warning signs are posted everywhere to close vehicle windows, in case of attacks like the rare accidents mentioned above.

Thuc Anh