Lioness killed by lion in front of onlookers at Longleat on New Year’s Day

Guests said they were diverted away from the lion enclosure in the early afternoon because of an unknown major incident
AUSTRALIA-ANIMALS-LION-BIRTHDAY
Longleat said the attack was a natural if rare occurence among apex predators
AFP via Getty Images
Nuray Bulbul4 January 2023

A lion killed a lioness at the Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire on New Year's Day.

The park stated that, despite their staff’s best attempts, the lioness's injuries could not be healed, in what they called “a rare but natural incident”.

It said: “This weekend (January 1, 2023) saw one of the lionesses at Longleat sadly killed by another lion. This kind of incident is very rare but can naturally occur amongst apex predators.

“It happened incredibly quickly, with the lioness dying almost instantly. Our professional keepers were immediately on the scene, however, the timescales involved meant there was no possibility of intervention.

Guests did not appear to be aware that the lioness had been killed, however, a visitor who was close to the enclosure said on social media that a wounded lioness was visible lying still on the ground.

The park confirmed there was no risk posed to guests close to the lion enclosure. Visitors said they were diverted away from the lion enclosure in the early afternoon because of an unknown major incident at the time.

Only two weeks before this incident, two rare red panda cubs at the safari park died when the temperature went below freezing. The two newborn animals, which were discovered in their nesting box, were born last summer.

Initial investigations, according to the staff, indicated that their deaths were caused by hypothermia and weaning issues. Tala and Sumi, the two newborn cubs, were born to Emma and Lionel as a result of the park's breeding programme for endangered species.

The attraction's employees shared a post on social media at the time, which read: “We know so many of you have loved seeing these beautiful creatures for yourselves and will share our sadness in having to say goodbye to them.”

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