Game of Thrones editor ‘torn apart’ by lion in safari park horror
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Katherine Chappell, 29, was being driven through a safari park near Johannesburg in South Africa when she was mauled to death by a lion after it jumped through an open car window
Image: Instagram)
A Game of Thrones editor was tragically killed by a lion during a safari trip in a brutal attack when the beast leapt through an open car window.
Katherine Chappell, 29, was on a drive through a safari park near Johannesburg, South Africa, when her dream holiday took a horrifying turn. She had lowered a window to snap a photo of a resting lion.
Suddenly, the lion rose onto its hind legs, lunged forward and attacked her through the window. Eyewitness Ben Govender recounted 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 creature then launched a second ferocious assault, savagely mauling its victim. Ben said: “Her face was torn apart. The right side of her chest was gone.
Katherine was on a drive through a safari park (
Image:
Instagram)
Nothing could have been done to save that woman. ” He described how the lion “had half her shoulder in its mouth” during the onslaught.
Guide Pierre Potgieter, who bravely battled to save Katherine’s life, suffered a heart attack in what he described as the “worst experience” of his life.
The park promises “super close-up views” and proudly claims that visitors 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 incident alongside the police.
One of the guides battled to save Katherine (
Image:
Instagram)
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 wildlife specialist dubbed the “Lion Whisperer”, warned that lions can “lose their natural fear of humans” in such 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.”
People are told to keep windows closed at all times (
Image:
Anadolu via Getty Images)
Katherine’s relatives issued a statement on Facebook which 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.”
At her funeral service, 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 was a special effects editor, 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 show and also boasts credits on films like ‘Captain America’ and ‘Divergent’.
