A safari guide was mauled and killed by a lion during a tour of Hwange National Park on Monday, the same ZImbabwe park that was home to Cecil the lion. The attack happened after the guide, Quinn Swales, tracked a pride of lions while escorting a small group of tourists on a walking safari.
"One of the lions had cubs and they became hostile. Mr. Swales at first managed to scare the lions away but then the male lion later made a U-turn and attacked him," police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told The Associated Press. None of the tourists was harmed, she said.
One of our walks with Quinn Swales @CampHwange - he knew everything about every inch of of that park pic.twitter.com/Bgff89H1RL— Nick Dawson (@nickdawson) August 25, 2015
Calling Swales a "a fully qualified and experienced Zimbabwe Professional Guide," the park said in a statement on its Facebook page, "We can confirm that Quinn did everything he could to successfully protect his guests and ensure their safety, and that no guests were injured in the incident."
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The lion that attacked Swales is a 14-year-old male named Nxaha and has something of a track record of aggression. The lion has previously attacked research vehicles.
Several photos on the park's Facebook page are watermarked with Swales' name, crediting him as photographer.
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"I don't recall any such incidents of an unprovoked attack around the Hwange area in the last 30 to 40 years," Trevor Lane, an official of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, told the AP. "This is no reason to stop walking safaris. It's been going on for years and it is a great experience. It is very popular, highly sought after."
Our deepest sympathies go out to the Swales Family. RIP Quinn Swales. #VisitZimbabwe #263Chat #Hwange #wildlife https://t.co/PchfqKxSYn— #VisitZimbabwe (@tourismzimbabwe) August 25, 2015
Hwange was also home to Cecil, the famous lion illegally killed be Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist in July. The kill sparked widespread outrage across social media. During that hunt, Palmer and his guide lured Cecil out of the park before killing him. After Cecil's death became known, park officials said that neither Palmer nor his guide had the proper permits for such a hunt.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.