A conservationist in South Africa named West Mathewson was killed by the lions he reared on his own after they blindsided him while he was out walking them, his family said.
The incident took place on Wednesday at the Tree Top Lodge, which the family owns, in Limpopo Province in South Africa.
According to a report by the BBC, one lioness became aggressive towards the other and then turned her attention to Mathewson.
Mathewson’s wife, Gill, had been driving behind her husband when the attack took place.
A statement from the family said Gill had “tried her best” to rescue her husband but she was unable to do so.
“The family is heart broken by the loss of their husband, father and grandfather.”
The statement added that the lions had been sedated following the attack and temporarily relocated to another centre before they are “released into the best environment available to them.”
“They find comfort and peace with the fact that he died while living his dream, being in nature and with his lions that were so close to his heart,” the statement said.
Mathewson, fondly referred to as Uncle West, raised the lions since they were cubs, after rescuing them from “canned hunting”, and regularly interacted with them.
