Cheetah mauls careless teenage boy in safari park before 'hero' worker jumps in to save him
NETHERLANDS, EUROPE: A male student from Germany and his two friends were visiting the Beekse Bergen Safari Park in the Netherlands when they were allegedly distracted enough to venture off the designated route. One student, a teenager, whose identity remains anonymous for his own protection, was mauled by the predator and sustained bites to his arms and head as he sought to escape.
The teenager was thankfully rescued by a safari park warden, who is now being hailed as a hero for his prompt and life-saving actions. An investigation into the attack is underway by park authorities. Whether the guys, purposefully deviated from the walkway and entered the cage or got lost along the way is unclear.
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A park spokesperson told local broadcaster RTL: "The group left the path which has been created for visitors who discover the premises not by car but by foot. There are information signposts all over the safari park in several languages, including German." He added, "They apparently got over a six-meter (20 feet) fence and ended up in an area which is restricted only to visitors in vehicles. The carer who managed to rescue the boy acted like a hero." The spokesperson concluded, "The teenager was visibly shocked but the carer and his colleagues looked after him." The park's spokeswoman stated that an investigation into the park's guest safety policies has been initiated. Thanks to prompt care, the young patient was able to go home the same day. With 1,250 animals representing 150 species, Beekse Bergen Safari Park is the largest wildlife zoo in the Benelux area.
Cheetas are huge cats that are endemic to the central regions of Africa and Iran. They are capable of running speeds of up to 80 mph, making them the fastest animals that live on land.
In a similar incident in 2018, a family with small children was attacked by a pack of cheetahs in a zoo enclosure just outside the Dutch city of Tilburg. The family was captured on film fleeing their car yards from a group of six cheetahs. In the video, one man in the car opens one of the car doors and starts taking pictures. Then, another door open in the back and a woman steps out to put some things in the trunk. Two children come out of the car and stand with her as a cheetah silently approaches the woman and her children. A loud sound of shock can be heard from the second vehicle that alerts the family of the danger they are in. In a later moment, the same French family exits their vehicle from a safer distance to view the predators. But the cheetahs shock them by springing to their feet and dashing in their direction. The scared family runs back to their car and get in just in time before the animals close in on them.