A safari Park employee mauled by a lion tells a story

A safari Park employee mauled by a lion recalls how the large creature sliced through her leg “like butter.”

In 2013, two lions attacked Lauren Fagen, who was 18 at the time, as she was cleaning out their cages at the Moholoholo rehabilitation facility in South Africa. One of the lions bit her leg.

The legs of Ms. Fagen were dragged through an opening by Duma the lion, who reached through the bars of his cage.

Natalie Bennett, a British vet and fellow volunteer, used a broom to try to fend off the lions, saving Ms. Fagen, a native of Quebec, Canada.

Ms. Fagen quoted author Dougie Wight’s account of Duma’s leg sticking through the bars as saying, “Duma stuck his entire leg through the bars, nearly the full length of it because of how far I was away.”

She said, “He hit me with the middle of my right leg with the point of his nail before I could respond.

It went in smoothly and was like butter. I heard a thud and realised that he had thrown me on the ground, where I was staring up at the ceiling.

He cut my leg open. It appeared to be something from a dead cow that would dangle from the ceiling, similar to what you may see at the butcher.

Ms. Fagen kicked with her other leg as she began to scream for aid, but the lion instantly pulled it through the bars and up to her groyne.

Tree, Duma’s female mate, suddenly joined the assault and began to nibble at Ms. Fagen’s feet.

The atta left the Safari park employee with 10 flesh wounds on her legs and feet.”Nearly completely off and hanging by a piece of skin,” she said of her left kneecap.

Ten years after the attack, the now 28-year-old said, “it could’ve been a lot worse.” Despite suffering muscular and nerve damage, she added.

Compiled by

World Travel News, Gorilla Trekking Uganda and Gorilla Trekking Rwanda