A wildlife park owner was savagely mauled by a lion in front of screaming onlookers after he entered the animal's enclosure.
A wildlife park owner was savagely mauled by a lion in front of screaming onlookers after he entered the animal's enclosure.
A wildlife park owner was savagely mauled by a lion in front of screaming onlookers after he entered the animal's enclosure.
Mike Hodge, a 67-year-old British expat, was rushed to hospital with neck and jaw injuries after the shocking attack caught on film in South Africa.
Pictures shows Hodge smiling in his hospital bed despite his injuries, and a friend has told the Sun he is recovering from the dramatic ordeal.
The video of the attack, filmed at the Marakele Predator Park near Thabazimbi in South Africa, shows Hodge entering the lion's enclosure.
"Mike and one of his rangers were a little concerned about a smell in a compound that was upsetting one of the lions and had gone in through the gate to see what was causing it," the friend told the Sun.
"He is no fool around lions and knows how to interact with them but clearly something went wrong."
Quick thinking: After entering the enclosure, Mr Hodge is seen running for safety as the lion turns to pursue him to the gate.
Witnesses watched as the animal pursued him towards the metal door to the pen and screamed as the beast dragged him back. The hulking animal clawed at the man, who went limp in its grip.
The lion dragged the man farther into the enclosure, into bushes as onlookers screamed for help.
