Three captive lions have been shot dead after they attacked the "lion man" as he fixed a fence inside their enclosure in a game reserve.
The 70-year-old man, Leon Van Biljon, was mauled to death by two lions and one lioness in the Mahala View Lion Game Lodge north of Pretoria. "Leon went in to fix the fence but knows the lion well and turned his back as he was fixing the fence and one came from behind and took his neck," an official told news reporters. "There was nothing anyone could have done to save him."
Emergency staff tried to help the bloodied victim but couldn't reach him as he was surrounded by the lions. Authorities had no other choice but to shoot the three animals dead to treat the victim who was pronounced dead at the scene.
