Lion Attacks Tourist outside of Johannesburg

An American tourist was mauled to death by a lioness after the animal bit the woman through a car window in the Lanseria Lion wildlife park on Monday.

The 22-year-old woman and a male friend were on an afternoon drive through the lion park, a tourist destination just outside Johannesburg that advertises “super close-up animal views guaranteed.

” when the lion bit her through the passenger window, the lion approached from the left of the vehicle from the passenger side and it walked quite close,” said Scott Simpson, Lion Park’s spokesman.

“The witnesses said they saw the guests taking pictures of the lion from a metre away, then the lion lunged at the car and bit the lady through the window.”

Mr Simpson said that the park staff rushed to get the lioness off the terrified young woman, but were too late to save her life.

“When the paramedics were treating the lady she unfortunately passed away,” said Mr Simpson, a 28-year-old who has been working at the Lion Park for less than a year.

Mr Simpson said the American tourist was on a “routine” drive through an enclosure, which is approximately eight hectares large, with 12 lions inside.

“There was nothing special about this one,” said Mr Simpson about the fatal drive. "We have 200,000 visitors every year and an incident like this very rarely happens.”

The local male driver of the car was injured in the attack as he tried to save the tourist, according to reports. He was taken to a nearby hospital and his injuries are not life threatening, said Mr Simpson.

South African police have opened an inquest. “The investigation is how the woman died, because she died unnaturally,” said Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, Gauteng province police spokesman.

The US embassy said it was aware of reports of an incident involving a US citizen.

The lion attack is just one of a series of violent episodes seen at the popular park this year.