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Lion Dubbed A ‘Hwange Legend’ Kills Safari Guide As He Protects Six Tourists On Tour

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 02:56 PST, Aug 26, 2015

Safari guide Quinn Swales heroically protected six tourists while leading a walking tour in Hwange National Park on Monday, when a lion he’d been tracking lunged at his group. Sadly, he was killed.

The 40-year-old Zimbabwean was killed “on the spot,” New Zimbabwe reported. None of the foreign tourists were harmed. And in a strange twist of fate, Hwange is the same park from which the now-famous Cecil the lion was lured and shot by American dentist Walter Palmer.

While on the walking tour, Swales reportedly spotted a fresh track and followed it to a pride, including two females, two cubs, and two males, the Associated Press reported. He found the group under a tree, and the cubs moved forward to greet the tourists. A female charged, but Quinn kept it at bay.

A male, collared like Cecil and named Nxaha, then “made a U-turn” and jumped at him, added the New York Times. A police spokesman said the lion bit him on the neck and chest, and he “bled profusely” from his wounds.

“All efforts to save him were in vain,” said spokeswoman Caroline Washaya Moyo.

The local site reported that he died on the spot. Official statements from park authorities indicate the safari guide died the same day he was attacked, but suggest he died later of injuries he sustained while on the tour.

“We can confirm that (Quinn) did everything he could to successfully protect his guests and ensure their safety, and that no guests were injured in the incident. Unfortunately, (he) passed away as result of the injuries sustained at the scene.”

The lion that attacked the safari guide was known for his violent behavior. Dubbed a “Hwange legend,” Nxaha had attacked research vehicles in the past. He is 14-years-old.

Africa depends on wildlife tourism and dominates the worldwide market. Money from these ventures are valuable to impoverished countries like Zimbabwe, and the revenue often helps preserve fragile environments, the Times added.

But the more human beings encroach on wild areas and come into contact with the animals that make a home there, the more harmful their presence becomes. In 2009, a study showed the animals are stressed by human visitors.

A safari guide like Swales, however, knows that the possibility of being killed is part of the job.

“All walking guides are aware of the risks that their work entails,” said friend Steven Bolnick on Facebook, “but it is so sad when those whose lives are dedicated to conservation die in their line of work.”

And lions aren’t the only danger. According to the AP, an elephant killed a man in nearby Victoria Falls, also on Monday. The man sold souvenirs.

[Photo Courtesy L Galbraith / Shutterstock]

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