A tour guide has died after being attacked by a lion in the Zimbabwe national park near the site where a lion nicknamed Cecil was infamously killed in July, the park said in a statement. The guide, a Zimbabwe native named Quinn Swales, was 40. From the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority via the New York Times:
Investigations reveal that on August 24, Quinn who was the lead guide, was on a walking safari with six foreign guests. He spotted fresh lion spoor and decided to track a pride of lions consisting two females, two cubs and two males. One of the lions known as Nxaha was collared.
It is further revealed that Nxaha jumped out at Quinn. All efforts to save Quinn were in vain.
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Nxaha is a male, Camp Hwange Zimbabwe said in its statement. From the Times:
Guides had taken notice of Nxaha’s unusual aggression in the past. In February, another lodge posted a warning about the 14-year-old lion, a “Hwange legend” who was known to attack research vehicles.
Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer (who shot Cecil after allegedly luring the animal out of the park, inside which hunting is not permitted) is not known to have faced any sanction for his actions. Palmer’s Zimbabwe guide, Theo Bronkhurst, is scheduled to begin a trial for illegal-hunting charges on Sept. 28.
