Lions maul Aussie diplomat

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070429/wl_asia_afp/australiazimbabwediplomatanimallion_070429070749 ^

[felisberto]

SYDNEY (AFP) - A young Australian diplomat was mauled by lions at a wildlife park in Zimbabwe but survived because her boyfriend scared the animals away, a report said Sunday.

Gemma Huggins, 27, was visiting the Lion and Cheetah park outside Harare when a lion grabbed her by the head and shook her, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

The diplomat, who had arrived in Zimbabwe on her first foreign posting a month earlier, was lucky to survive after the lion's teeth came within millimetres of her jugular vein, it said.

The paper said she was attacked by more than one animal.

Huggins was treated for severe injuries to her head, neck, torso and legs and had several skin grafts at the Unitas Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, it added.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that a diplomat from the High Commission (embassy) in Harare had been hospitalised after an unspecified incident at a wildlife park.

[Titan Magroyne]

[Great big] Kitty ping

[Brujo]

I know this is unrelated, and perhaps she did nothing to provoke the lions, but I'm dealing from a mindset that is so sick of hearing stories about mountain lions attacking hikers while hiking in THEIR territory.

Umm, so where do you put the borders on “their” territory?

[beeber]

Why would a lion attack a human? Don't they know that we're their 'friends'?

[Experiment 6-2-6]

since before Mountain lions were here, the largest cat like predator at that time were sabre tooth tigers

I miss Sabertooth.

Wish he hadn't left free republic.

[dennisw]

Thanks for the photo. Prayers up for this young naive person. The world isn’t your oyster (first diplomatic posting etc etc) when a lion clamps onto your head.

Good that her gutsy man chased the lion away

[PzLdr]

The lions have good taste.

[SAJ]

Never bring diplomacy to a lion fight.

[dennisw]

By the throat apparently...

Lion is too tame and out of practice because he missed the jugular and allowed her boyfriend to ward him (her?) off

[dennisw]

The lions have good taste.

Australians, the other white meat. Did someone post that yet?

[null and void]

Me too.

[goodnesswins]

Is THAT the actual picture of the attack? What the heck are they doing wandering around with lions? Seems stupid, and obviously dangerous.

[null and void]

Nope. You’re first...

[NordP]

The stories I refer to, the people are clearly in places they shouldn’t be.

[dennisw]

Then Freepers must be slipping

[NordP]

The ONLY place I'm liberal then.

We should be able to all live together if we respect each other's place on this planet. I don't think that kind of thinking is so weird.

[NordP]

THANK you for your post. ExACTly!

[Little Ray]

Kudos to the boyfriend for rescuing her.
I’m not sure how I’d frighten a lion way from its prey... preferbaly with a Weatherby...

[Joe 6-pack]

"Australians, the other white meat."

LOL...reminds me of Ian Punnit who refers to Canadians as "free range Americans."

[null and void]

I blame it on melamine in the food...

[Slings and Arrows]

Bad Kitty ping!