After being attacked by a lioness, one tourist almost had his arms ripped off.
Pieter Nortje, 55, was seen in video footage reaching through the fence and attempting to pet the animal while on safari with his wife, Ilze, in South Africa.
In the video, he can be heard saying: “Come here, lovely, let daddy stroke you.”
…I now understand why the lioness did what she did.
This is 2019 people, we can’t say that anymore.
Even to a female lion, but I digress.
Soon after Pieter attempted to lure the animal in, the lioness snapped back at the man, locking its jaw around his arm and attempting to pull him towards the thin metal fence.
The man’s wife can be heard screeching in the background: “It’s biting him, it’s biting him!
But thankfully, after a brief struggle, the man was able to break free from the lioness’s grip.
Local news station, Netwerk 24, reported that the incident happened while on a guided tour of the lion enclosure at the Tikwe River Lodge, where both Peter and his wife were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.
After the attack, Peter was said to be taken to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein where he was treated for septic shock.
Septic shock is a life-threatening condition that happens when severe infection is inflicted.
The Tikwe River Lodge denied any responsibility for the attack, sharing how the lion enclosure tours had been going on for six years with zero incidents.
“There are warning signs everywhere.” a spokesperson for the company stated.
“Mr. Nortje stuck his hand through the electric fence to touch the lions and was bitten.”
One South African game ranger from another park viewed the video, saying how Mr. Nortje was very lucky and could have been killed if other lions decided to join in.
“The man was lucky that the lioness was probably not hungry or not used to killing live prey outside the wild.” the ranger said.
The incident follows a circus performer who was attacked by a lion earlier in the month in Lugansk, Ukraine, during a routine.
The alarming footage has since been released — revealing the moment the animal attacks the trainer in front of a huge audience of children and their parents.
Well-known performer Hamada Kouta was overpowered by the angered animal which sank its teeth into his arm and clawed him.
Naturally, the crowd screamed in fear.
The video reveals the 32-year-old trainer being thrown to the ground by the cat which quickly turned aggressive in the ring.
Kouta’s arm, leg and back were mauled and clawed.
The animal eventually retreated from the cage but left everyone’s jaws to the ground.
One mother watching along with her two children said:
“My heart stopped when the lion pounced at the trainer.”
Recently, traveling circuses were banned in Ukrainian capital Kiev but Lugansk is currently outside Kieve’s rule.
According to Stop Circuses Suffering:
“Careful research and detailed investigations of animal circuses has shown that both public safety and animal welfare is unacceptably compromised in traveling performances. Large, dangerous and unpredictable wild animals, under duress and suffering stress from confinement in small spaces, often displaying behavioral abnormalities, has proven to be a public safety hazard. Escaped animals have maimed and killed workers, members of the public, including children.”
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