By Kabelo Abel Mokgalabone and Theodorah Mokgalabone
POLOKWANE-Dinokeng Game Reserve has released the name of an employee who was reportedly tragically attacked and killed by a lion on Monday evening, August 14.
Johannes Machete (30), was reportedly mauled to death by a lion while trying to navigate the reserve on foot. Machete’s remains are said to have been discovered the next morning by the vigilant reserve fencing team of DGR at approximately 10:37 AM the next day.
In light of this, the spokesperson for DGR Management Authority Hartogh Streicher, has stressed the importance of wildlife safety, further emphasizing that walking within the reserve at night is forbidden.
He encouraged landowners to play an active role to ensure the safety of fellow landowners and guests, urging them to promptly report any breach of reserve regulations.
“This tragedy serves as a poignant reminder of the untamed instincts that drive wild animals like lions, particularly during their nocturnal hunting patterns. By collectively adhering to the rules we can work together to prevent the recurrence of such tragic incidents ” Streicher said.
The South African Police Service is conducting an ongoing investigation.
This is not the first time that the Dinokeng Game Reserve has witnessed such a gruesome scene.
In 2018, a 22-year-old woman met a similarly horrific end when a lion launched a fatal attack.
She had been accompanying a friend who had gone to interview the camp’s manager when she was pounced upon.
In the wake of that attack, reserve management sought to clarify that the attack had occurred within a restricted conservation zone inaccessible to the general public, and involved a lion that was not part of the reserve’s population of wild, free-roaming lions.
Situated in the northeastern reaches of Gauteng, Dinokeng Reserve boasts 19,000 hectares of land and is the only Big Five game reserve in the province.
Big Five is a term used to describe what hunters deem the most dangerous animals to pursue – the African elephant, Cape buffalo, African lion, leopard and rhinoceros.
