WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Katherine Chappell, 29, was mauled to death by a lion during a safari in a savage attack after it jumped through an open car window.
A Game of Thrones editor was tragically killed by a lion during a safari trip, in a brutal attack that saw the beast leap through an open car window.
Katherine Chappell, 29, was on a dream holiday touring a safari park near Johannesburg, South Africa when the unthinkable happened. She had lowered her window to snap a photo of a resting lion, when suddenly, it reared up and attacked her through the window.
Eyewitness Ben Govender recounted the horrifying scene to the New York Post: “We saw the [guide] diving into the passenger seat and punching at the lioness.
“After the first bite, the lioness retreated from the car with blood dripping from her mouth and paw.” The beast then launched a second, fatal assault, savagely mauling its victim. Ben ADDED: “Her face was torn apart. The right side of her chest was gone.Nothing could have been done to save that woman.”
He described how the lion “had half her shoulder in its mouth” during the onslaught, reports the Mirror.
Guide Pierre Potgieter, who bravely attempted to rescue Katherine, suffered a heart attack in what he described as the “worst experience” of his life.
The park promises “super close-up views” and claims guests can “get closer to a pride of lions and other animals and still be completely safe.”
Scott Simpson, the assistant operations manager at Lion Park, has launched an investigation into the tragic incident alongside the police.
He explained: “When you drive through into the lion enclosure, which is separate from the rest of the park, you get handed a slip of paper at the gates reminding you to keep your windows closed at all times. You also have extensive signage absolutely everywhere warning people to keep them shut.”
Kevin Richardson, a South African animal expert known as the “Lion Whisperer”, warned that lions can “lose their natural fear of humans” in these kinds of parks.
He told NBC News: “People visiting lion parks should be particularly careful and adhere to the rules such as making sure their windows are not rolled down too far. Wild lions fear people and vehicles. That is why you can view them safely in open top vehicles.”
Katherine’s family released a statement on Facebook that read: “Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman. Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans. She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.”
During her eulogy, sister Jennifer Ringwald described her as “fearless”.
“Katie had an unbridled passion for everything under the sun,” Jennifer said. “Nobody who met her could ever forget her. Her flaw was that she was a 5-foot-4, 90-pound woman, but deep down she believed she was a 6-foot-4, 250-pound man.”
Katherine, a special effects editor, was part of the Game of Thrones team that bagged an Emmy for the 2014 episode ‘The Children’.
Originally from New York, she relocated to Vancouver in 2013 to contribute to the series and also boasts credits on films like ‘Captain America’ and ‘Divergent’.
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