A 30-year-old employee was mauled to death by a lion while walking during his night shift at the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng, South Africa. Johannes Matshe was employed by a landowner at the reserve when he was attacked on the night of Sunday, August 13, 2023. His remains were discovered the following Monday morning.
Attack during prime hunting hours
The lion pounced on him, stripping the flesh from his bones. Reserve spokesman Hartogh Streicher later revealed that staff are strictly forbidden from venturing through the park after dark. Graphic images emerged appearing to show the lion tearing the skin from his skull, and further undisclosed photographs were believed to show his leg bone protruding from his work boots, entirely stripped of flesh.
Streicher explained: "Lions are nocturnal animals, driven by their natural instinct and hunting patterns, and may perceive a person as a normal prey species."
Discovery of remains
According to Streicher, the employee's remains were found by an operations manager at the reserve at 10.37am on the Monday morning, around the time the animal would typically be feeding at breakfast. The spokesperson stated: "The individual was tragically attacked and killed by lions while attempting to navigate the reserve on foot after dark...The operations manager responded promptly, confirming the unfortunate loss of life."
At the time, the reserve expressed concerns regarding the welfare of its other staff members and what action should be taken against the lion involved. The statement added: "Concerning the management of the lions responsible for this killing, no decision has been reached whether they have become unnaturally dangerous, but the reserve is receiving expert advice to make the most responsible decision possible for all parties concerned."
Previous fatality at the reserve
This is not the first tragic animal-related fatality at the reserve. In 2018, a 22-year-old woman, Megan van der Zwan, was mauled to death by a lion that pounced on her within a designated 'conversation zone', an area off-limits to members of the general public. She was visiting the reserve to interview manager Kevin Richardson, known as 'the lion whisperer', about his work.
Richardson spoke out about the incident in 2018, saying: "Myself and an experienced colleague took three lions walking in the reserve, as we do on a weekly basis, as part of their exercise and stimulation regiment. We assessed the landscape for other Big Five animals and, as per procedure, sent out a notification that we were walking in the reserve. One of the lionesses charged off after an impala and must have run 2 to 2.5km, where she encountered the 22-year-old outside the car. I am devastated, and my heart goes out to this young woman's family." Following the attack, paramedics rushed to the scene, but the young woman was declared dead upon their arrival.
