Briton mauled by 'tame' cheetahs in South Africa

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/05/briton-mauled-cheetah-south-africa

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A British tourist who tried to protect a girl being mauled by captive cheetahs in South Africa has told of how the supposedly tame big cats then turned on her.

Violet D'Mello, 60, from Aberdeen, suffered injuries to her head, stomach and legs during the incident at the Kragga Kamma Game Park in Port Elizabeth, last weekend. She said she survived by playing dead.

D'Mello had entered the enclosure along with another family to pose for a photo beside the cats. One of the cheetahs then grabbed a girl from the family and D'Mello intervened to protect her.

She told the Port Elizabeth Herald: "It all happened in just a few minutes, but it was a nightmare. They weren't being vicious. You could tell they were just excited, but it became serious very quickly.

"It all happened so fast. After his sister was free, another boy tried to make a run for it. As I stopped him, something jumped me from behind."

A guide from the park managed to pull the cheetah off but another cat then attacked the 60-year-old.

People on the scene managed to get both cats off and they escaped the enclosure.

D'Mello, who was on holiday with her husband, added: "Something inside me just said, 'Don't move. Don't move at all. Don't react, just play dead.' This was meant to be a holiday, but it's really turned into a nightmare."

Park manager Mike Cantor described the hand-reared cheetahs, brothers Mark and Monty, as tame.

He said: "It's not something we've ever really experienced. It's obviously very unfortunate and we're looking into what may have startled or riled up the cheetahs."

The cheetah enclosure has been closed while the incident is investigated.