Family devastated after lioness kills woman

It is still unclear what action the Dinokeng Game Reserve near Pretoria will take after one of its lionesses attacked and killed a woman at the campsite earlier this week.

"At this stage we have to wait for all investigations to be completed‚ so we have no decision on what will happen to the lioness‚" said the company representing the reserve.

The predator mauled to death a 22-year-old woman. She was not a guest or an employee.

Kevin Richardson‚ the man known as the lion whisperer who looks after the big cats at the reserve‚ said he had "taken them on a walk in the reserve" when a lioness suddenly chased after an impala and then attacked the woman.

"Myself and an experienced colleague took three lions walking in the reserve‚ as we do on a weekly basis‚ as part of their exercise and stimulation regiment. We assessed the landscape for other Big Five animals and as per procedure sent out a notification that we were walking in the reserve‚" Richardson wrote on an Instagram post on Wednesday.

"One of the lionesses charged off after an Impala and must have run 2‚0 to 2‚5km where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car. The young 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. Before leaving the reserve‚ the two visitors were taking photographs outside the tented camp where the attack occurred‚" he said.

The animal behaviorist said he was devastated by the incident.

So was the woman’s family‚ said Constable Connie Moganedi.

"I have been communicating with the family and they said they are not yet ready to release the name of the victim‚" she said.