Hallo liebe Fomis,
habe mich gerade mal durch "Zimbabwe" geklickt und keinen Eintrag diesbezüglich gefunden.... Ist zwar jetzt schon 3 Jahre her, aber hat das jemand mitbekommen...? Ein Safariguide der im Hwange Nationalpark mit 6 Touristen auf Walking Safari unterwegs war, wurde von einem Löwen angegriffen und getötet. Was für ein Horrorszenario! Anbei die Beschreibung des Unfallherganges: Die Touristen haben überlebt, aber für den Guide kam jede Hilfe zu spät.
Camp Hwange
25. August 2015 ·
Fatal lion attack – Hwange National Park
August 2015: While leading a bush walk with guests of Camp Hwange on the morning of 24 August 2015, Quinn Swales (40), a fully qualified and very experienced Zimbabwean Professional Guide, was tragically and fatally mauled by an adult male lion.
Quinn and his group of six clients had come across the tracks of a pride of lions while walking down the edge of an open savannah “vlei line” and soon thereafter came across the pride lying down some distance from them. At this point the adult male rose and began walking purposefully towards the group. As he had done numerous times in his career, Quinn immediately briefed his guests on what to expect and instructed them to get behind him and not move.
At this stage the lion did not charge the group, but unusually kept walking purposefully towards them. Once it had breached a certain point, both Quinn and his party of guests began shouting at the lion in an attempt to intimidate it. This had the desired affect and the lion stopped to watch them, allowing Quinn the opportunity to set off a “bear banger” (very loud fire bang) to further dissuade it. This caused the lion to move off obliquely, away from the group, in a manner which suggested it would return to the pride, but it suddenly turned and instantaneously charged and attacked Quinn who had continued to place himself between his guests and the animal.
Quinn bore the full brunt of the charge and, unable to fire his rifle due to the speed of the attack, literally stopped the attack of the lion on his group by placing himself directly in harm’s way. Having been thrown to the ground, bitten in the shoulder and neck Quinn sadly died at the scene, the shouting of his guests driving the lion away from his body and allowing, ultimately unsuccessfully, emergency first aid to be performed.
Using the handheld radio, the guests – themselves unhurt and now out of danger – then called camp for assistance.
David Carson, General Manager of Camp Hwange, himself a Professional Guide with more than twenty five years’ experience, paid tribute to Quinn: “Only praise and admiration can be given to Quinn in the professional way he unflinchingly faced the charging lion, thus ensuring that he protected the clients all of whom were unharmed in any way. He paid the ultimate price in pursuit of a job he loved, in an area he knew so well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, colleagues and friends at this sad time. It would be appreciated if the family be given the privacy to mourn the loss of a fine man.”
Ends.
Notes:
Zimbabwe is world-renowned for the quality of their Professional Guides and the comprehensive and exhaustive process of qualification – undoubtedly the continent’s most rigorous assessment. After several years as a learner, or apprentice, guide undergoing intensive training and many intermediate exams and practical assessments, a fully qualified Professional Guide is fully conversant with all aspects of guiding, both from a vehicle and on foot. A Professional Guide only passes their final assessment when adjudged fully competent by a panel of his peers in a formal review process.
edition.cnn.com/2015...d-by-lion/index.html