Zimbabwe lion kills safari guide

A lion charged and killed a safari guide who was leading a group of tourists in the same national park in Zimbabwe that was the home of Cecil the lion who was killed by a bow hunter in July.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said Quinn Swales was leading six tourists on a walking safari in Hwange National Park on Monday when he spotted six lions.

He decided to track the pride, consisting of two females, two cubs and two males, according to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

“One of the lions had cubs and they became hostile. Mr. Swales at first manage to scare the lions away but then the male lion later made a U-turn and attacked him,” Charamba said. None of the tourists was harmed, she said.

The collared lion, named Nxaha, attacked Swales, the parks authority said.

Cecil’s killing in July by American dentist James Walter Palmer just outside the park sparked outrage globally. The collared lions are being monitored for an Oxford University study.

Camp Hwange, the safari company that employed Swales, said the 40-year-old guide succumbed to the injuries on the same day he was attacked.