Wildlife park worker, 30, is run over by lions who attacked him as he walked through their reserve in South Africa at night
- The 30-year-old victim, Johannes Matshe, was an employee of the Dinokeng reserve
- His gruesome remains were discovered Monday morning by another employee
A lion mauled and ate a wildlife sanctuary worker in South Africa after the man went on an ill-advised nighttime walk.
The 30-year-old victim, Johannes Matshe, an employee of the reserve, met his gruesome fate as he walked through the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng after dark on Sunday night.
At some point in the night, the big cat attacked the unsuspecting employee, tearing him from limb to limb in a relentless onslaught.
Stomach churning footage of the gruesome scene, which MailOnline has not published, showed the flesh ripped from Matshe’s skull as his boot-clad leg bone lay twisted in the grass.
Reserve spokesman Hartogh Streicher revealed it was a hapless operations manager who stumbled upon the human remains at 10:37am Monday morning.
A lion is pictured in South Africa’s Dinokeng Game Reserve
Streicher made it clear that wandering the reserve after sunset was strictly forbidden. While offering his condolences to Matshe’s grieving family, he solemnly reminded everyone of the danger faced by those who fail to follow the safety rules of the reserve.
“Lions are nocturnal animals, driven by their natural instincts and hunting patterns, and may view a person as a normal prey species,” he said.
He added that the reserve was seeking expert advice on how to deal with the lion after the attack.
“With regard to the management of the lions responsible for this kill, no decision has yet been made as to whether they have become unnaturally dangerous, but the reserve is receiving expert advice to make the most responsible decision possible for all parties involved.”
He concluded his statement with a a passionate plea to all landowners to keep a close eye on their gamekeepers and visitors and to report any breaches of the rules to avoid a tragic repeat of the harrowing incident.
The Hammanskraal State Police, led by Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, has taken up the investigation and is trying to understand how and why Matshe entered the reserve alone at night.
In 2018, a 22-year-old woman met a gruesome end when a lion launched a deadly attack (stock image)
This is not the first time that the Dinokeng Game Reserve has witnessed such a gruesome scene.
In 2018, a 22-year-old woman met a similarly gruesome end when a lion launched a deadly attack.
She was with a friend who was going to interview the camp manager when she was attacked.
In the aftermath of that attack, the reserve tried to make it clear that the attack had taken place in a protected natural area that was not accessible to the general public, and that it involved a lion that was not part of the wild, free-roaming population. lions in the reserve.
Located in the northeastern reaches of Gauteng, the Dinokeng Reserve boasts 19,000 hectares of land and is the only Big Five Game Reserve in the province.
Big Five is a term used to describe what hunters consider to be the most dangerous animals to chase: the African elephant, Cape buffalo, African lion, leopard and rhinoceros.