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An employee at a zoo farm in Johannesburg, South Africa, died after being attacked by a lion, according to local media reports on Tuesday.
Joe Ramanata, who worked on a lion farm in Rietkuil, located in eastern South Africa, was attacked by a lioness during feeding time, reported the Eyewitness News. He had been an employee on the farm for 12 years.
“Joe was on his daily routine to feed the lions. We are not sure what happened in that process,” zoo spokesperson Letta Madlala told the News.
Police spokesperson Malesela Langa told the Pretoria News that Ramanata died on the way to the hospital. “What we know is that (Ramanata) was cleaning the area where the animals live and was feeding them when he was attacked,” he said.
“He was seriously injured and was taken to the Parys Hospital. Unfortunately, he could not be saved and died on arrival there,” Langa added.
Another zoo spokesperson, Louise Gordon, added that one of the enclosures holding the lions was not locked properly. The lioness had not escaped from the zoo, because the lion area is enclosed.
However, she said that Ramanata was adept in dealing with lions. “That is why staff are so shocked because he was well known and had extensive experience in dealing with the animals,” Gordon said.