American Woman Killed By Lion Was A Film Editor Who Worked On TV Series ‘Game Of Thrones’

More information has become available about Katherine Chappell, the American tourist who was bitten and killed by a lioness at Lion Park on Monday in South Africa. She is 29, not 22 as earlier reported, and was a film editor whose portfolio includes working for the popular TV series “Game of Thrones.”

Jennifer Chappell, the sister of the victim, confirmed Katherine’s identity in a Facebook post which reads, “We are heart-broken to share this news with our friends and family: Yesterday morning, while on a volunteer mission to protect wildlife in South Africa, Kate Chappell was involved in a tragic and fatal accident,” quotes Mirror.

Ironically, the wildlife that Katherine sought to protect by taking pictures of the lions at Lion Park includes the lioness that has cubs and attacked her through an open window which violated the park’s rules. TomoNews posted a video of the recreated version of the attack.

However, Shannon McKay, an animal expert, said the unsupervised travel of tourists in the park is a recipe for disaster. “You cannot have a situation where you’ve got human beings interacting so frequently with wild animals and not have it create some kind of problem,” News24 quotes McKay.

But Scott Simpson, the park’s assistant operations manager and spokesperson, pointed out that it has over 40 signs with images and text warning to tourists to close their vehicle windows all the time while within the safari zone. McKay said the park should only allow visitors to tour the park from its own vehicle to ensure they are safe as well as follow safety rules.

Jennifer described her sister as a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman whose energy and passion was not contained. Katherine, who holds a degree in film studies and production and Japanese language from Hofstra University in Long Island, lived in Vancouver, Canada.

Besides “Game of Thrones,” Katherine also worked on the movies “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Divergence” as an employee of an effects production company. As a wildlife conservationist, she raised funds to protect animals in South Africa. To contact the writer, email: vittoriohernandez@yahoo.com