North West game ranger mauled to death by lion
North West police have opened an inquest into the death of Pilanesberg National Park game ranger Kobus Marais.
Marais was mauled to death by a lion at the game reserve on Saturday morning.
According to the game reserve's Facebook page, Marais ran out of petrol with two other staff members when the incident took place.
"Unbeknownst to Kobus a very thin, poor conditioned lion was probably lying in wait.
"The RPU (Rhino Protection Unit) staff attempted to get the lion off Kobus when he was attacked, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
"The lion was shot and sadly Kobus succumbed to his wounds.
"The lion has been taken to Onderstepoort for a post mortem to determine if there was anything wrong with the lion that could not be seen by the naked eye," the statement adds.
