While walking in the enclosure, a man was suddenly attacked by a male lion that knocked him down and dragged him along the ground. The incident occurred at the Marakele Wildlife Center in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
The footage shows Mike Hodge, the owner of the facility, walking into the area inside the wire fence to get closer to the male lion. Suddenly, the lion noticed Hodge’s presence and charged toward him.
Realizing the danger, Hodge quickly turned and ran toward the exit. However, before he could escape, the lion pounced on him from behind and dragged him on the ground. Unable to fight back, the man could only weakly resist.
The lion drags the man into the bushes.
Outside, witnesses were in a state of panic. “Help my dad! Please, someone help him,” a female voice cried out. As Hodge was being dragged into the bushes by the lion, a gunshot rang out, bringing the lion down.
Fortunately, thanks to the timely intervention of the center’s staff, Hodge was rescued just in the nick of time. After the incident, the man was taken to the hospital with multiple injuries to his neck and jaw.
A friend of Hodge explained that he and a staff member had detected a strange smell in the enclosure and went inside to investigate, as it seemed to be bothering one of the lions housed there.
“They distracted the lion, but when Hodge approached, the lion suddenly turned and ran toward him. Hodge ran quickly but couldn’t make it through the gate in time and was attacked by the animal,” a witness recounted.
