By Kevin Crowley
(Bloomberg) – A 22 year-old American woman was dragged from a car and killed by a lion while driving through a wildlife park near Johannesburg, South African police said.
The woman’s male companion was injured in the attack on Monday at the Lion Park, a reserve north of Johannesburg where lions are kept in small enclosures, and has been taken to the hospital, said Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, a spokesman for the police. They were driving through one of the park’s lion camps with their car windows open, he said.
Earlier this year, an Australian man was bitten by a lion at the same park and a South African was attacked by a cheetah, according to Netwerk24, a news website. A spokesman for the Lion Park didn’t immediately return a call requesting comment.
The attraction, which allows tourists to drive their own vehicles through fence-off camps containing lions and other predators, says it’s the top tourist destination in Gauteng, the South African province that includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The park offers close-up views of lions in a safe environment, according to its website.