A bar manager was killed early yesterday morning by lions. They attacked him when he climbed into their enclosure at the Addo Croc and Lion Ranch near Port Elizabeth.
A few hours later, owner Johnny Janse van Rensburg shot three of the lions dead so that the police could get into the enclosure and remove the body.
Janse van Rensburg said: "There was no reason for him to be there. He was the bar and restaurant manager so he was not involved with the lions."
Between 3am and 5am, the 30-year-old man climbed onto a pole in the 5000m² enclosure which held two adult male lions, an adult female and three four-month-old lion cubs.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Gerda Swart said: "One of the lions got hold of his leg and pulled him down."
Police could not enter the enclosure safely. "We had to put the lions down. There was no vet, and National Parks couldn't get anyone to dart them," said Janse van Rensburg. "The lions were in a state of mind where you can't work with them anymore".
He said that the lion cubs would be moved, and the ranch would be closed until further notice.
This is the park's second fatal lion attack. Six years ago, a lion killed Janse van Rensburg's father-in-law while he was on patrol.
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