A Scottish tourist visiting a South African cheetah reserve narrowly escaped being fatally mauled after two of the big cats turned on her.
Violet D'Mello, 60, from Aberdeen, said they were told by staff at the Port Elizabeth game reserve that the cheetah brothers, Mark and Monty, were hand-reared from birth and completely tame.
But once they entered the enclosure with a family with young children, one of the cheetahs grabbed a seven-year-old girl, leaving her with cuts on her legs and thighs.
When Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello tried to stop the girlââ¬â¢s brother from running to the gate, the cheetah turned on her, knocking her to the floor, grazing and gouging her head.
Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello said it was obvious the cheetahs were only playing at first and her husband Archie, 64, a helicopter pilot, continued to take pictures.
They weren't vicious. You could tell they were just excited, but it became serious very quickly, she told South Africaââ¬â¢s Times newspaper.
When the park attendant tried to pull the cheetah off her, its brother joined in, pinning her to the ground and biting her legs.
You have to understand, these are big animals. Something inside me just said, 'Don't move. Don't move at all - don't react, just play dead',ââ¬Â she said.
The attack lasted around three minutes before Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello was eventually able to make a run for the gate.
Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...man-is-mauled-by-cheetah-in-South-Africa.html
When are people going to learn that there is NO such thing as a tame wild animal? These beautiful animals belong in the wild and not locked up for human entertainment.
Violet D'Mello, 60, from Aberdeen, said they were told by staff at the Port Elizabeth game reserve that the cheetah brothers, Mark and Monty, were hand-reared from birth and completely tame.
But once they entered the enclosure with a family with young children, one of the cheetahs grabbed a seven-year-old girl, leaving her with cuts on her legs and thighs.
When Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello tried to stop the girlââ¬â¢s brother from running to the gate, the cheetah turned on her, knocking her to the floor, grazing and gouging her head.
Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello said it was obvious the cheetahs were only playing at first and her husband Archie, 64, a helicopter pilot, continued to take pictures.
They weren't vicious. You could tell they were just excited, but it became serious very quickly, she told South Africaââ¬â¢s Times newspaper.
When the park attendant tried to pull the cheetah off her, its brother joined in, pinning her to the ground and biting her legs.
You have to understand, these are big animals. Something inside me just said, 'Don't move. Don't move at all - don't react, just play dead',ââ¬Â she said.
The attack lasted around three minutes before Mrs Dââ¬â¢Mello was eventually able to make a run for the gate.
Full story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...man-is-mauled-by-cheetah-in-South-Africa.html
When are people going to learn that there is NO such thing as a tame wild animal? These beautiful animals belong in the wild and not locked up for human entertainment.
