Lion Drags Woman From Car: US Tourist Killed In Lion Attack

A lion dragged an American woman from her car and killed her at the Gauteng Lion Park near Johannesburg, South Africa. The American killed in the lion attack has not yet been identified, only her age, 22, is currently known. A man attempted to pull the lion off of the woman and was seriously injured, but is expected to survive.

The American woman dragged from her car at thee South Africa drive-thru safari park reportedly broke the Gauteng Lion Park safety rules and left her window down during the tour.

https://youtu.be/rVcE_OUjl-Y

Gauteng Lion Park manager Scott Simpson told the media that visitors to the South African attraction are warned to keep their windows up during the safari experience.

“We make it so clear. We put signage up everywhere that people must keep their windows closed. We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park, I really don’t understand why people think its okay to leave windows open. We don’t know exactly what happened, we do know that there was a car driving to the lion camp and the lion did come through the window and it did bite the lady. Unfortunately the ambulance arrived quite soon but the lady has passed away.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Gauteng Lion Park near Johannesburg is reportedly a popular attraction for tourists visiting South Africa. The woman killed in the lion attack, like other visitors, drove her own vehicle around “large enclosures” where lions are free to roam at their pleasure. The South African Lion Park also reportedly permits safari visitors to “pet lion cubs” held in smaller enclosures.

The lion dragged the woman from her vehicle as she took photos of the wild animal. The lioness reportedly approached the passenger side of the vehicle and then lunged at the woman before dragging her out of the car, Simpson said.

“They had their windows all the way down, which is strictly against policy,” Simpson added. “The lion bit the lady through the window. The driver then tried to punch the lion and was scratched by the animal.

The American woman dragged to her death by the lioness at the South African Lion Park and the man inured during the same incident, were reportedly the third big cat attacks in the Johanessburg drive-thru safaria during the past four months. In March, Australian tourist Brendan Smith was attacked by a lion, and just a few days later, a young teen boy was the victim of a cheetah attack. Smith also reportedly failed to put his window up during the safari.

In 2014, a visitor to the South African Lion Park uploaded a video to YouTube that appeared to show a lion opening a car door.

There are reportedly no plans by Lion Park officials to “destroy” the lion involved in the deadly attack on the American woman.