Johannesburg (AFP) - A lion leapt through a open car window and mauled to death an American tourist at a privately-run game park just outside Johannesburg on Monday, a park official said.
The 22-year-old woman and another American tourist were travelling through the park, northwest of South Africa's biggest city, with their car windows open.
The second tourist, a man, suffered serious injuries while trying to save the victim who was sitting in the car passenger seat.
This situation begs the question of what the man driving the car was thinking when he failed to advise, if not demand, that his passenger, the young woman, roll up her car window? They were adults and had to know these lions and other wild animals were just that, wild. A male lion can weigh up to 500 pounds, not an unsubstantial weight and is not simply a larger version of the family pet cat.
The problem with so many people today, is that they seem detached from reality and often lack common sense. Not so the wild animals. They are merely doing what comes natural to wild animals, especially, as in this case, the King of the Jungle. Lions are predators and carnivores. I am certain the woman looked as good a meal to the lion as a gazelle or other large mammal.
Undoubtedly the lion will be tracked down and killed for no other reason than being a lion and doing what a lion does best, hunting. Perhaps the young man who was driving, should be held to account for his lapse in judgment that resulted in the death of his companion. This will never happen, however. The young man will probably not be held to any accounting for his role in this absolutely senseless and needless death.
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