On Monday, safari guide Quinn Swales was killed in Hwange National Park by a lion.
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said Quinn Swales was taking a group of tourists on a walking safari in Hwange National Park Monday morning when he spotted fresh lion spoor (tracks), according to the Associated Press. It was the very same national park where famed Cecil the lion once lived.
Upon following the tracks, according to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Swales came across a pride of six lions consisting of two females, two cubs and two males.
However, because there were cubs in the pride, the lions became hostile once they saw Swales. He allegedly managed to scare most of them off, but a collared lion, named Nxaha, made a sudden U-turn and attacked the guide, according to CNN.
In an attempt to protect the group, he managed to ward off the lion, but later died from injuries he sustained during the attack.
"Quinn did everything he could to successfully protect his guests and ensure their safety," the company, Camp Hwange, said on its Facebook page, adding that no other members of the group were hurt.
Camp Hwange describes itself as a small safari company that specializes in walking tours in the park, which covers a wide area of northwestern Zimbabwe,
The camp said Swales was a "fully qualified and experienced" guide.
