American Woman Killed by Lion in South Africa
The heartbroken mother of Katherine Chappell, the woman mauled to death by a lion in South Africa on Monday, says "everyone who met her loved her."
Mary Chappell, of Rye, New York, said of her spirited daughter: "She lived a life of adventure – she loved traveling, she was full of life.”Katherine – known as Katie to her friends – lived an extraordinary life, her mother told The Westchester County, N.Y. Journal News. She taught herself Japanese and traveled the world with her Australian boyfriend, Grayson Hoare. Her mother added that she had a soft spot for animals and the family adopted many rescue dogs.
Katherine also hoped to one day make a film about the dangers of the poaching crisis in Africa and the threat it poses to the country's wildlife.
Friends and family will gather at a wake tomorrow, ahead of a memorial service on Saturday at the Graham Funeral Home in Rye.
Katherine was set to begin a two-week stint volunteering on a wildlife preserve in South Africa when she was attacked by a lion. The New York native had arrived in the country a week early so she could sightsee, her mother said.
The visual effects editor was riding in the passenger seat of an SUV at Lion Park – a wildlife park located between Johannesburg and Pretoria that offers self-driven and guided tours. She was taking photos when the lion jumped through the open window and attacked her.
The lion that attacked Katherine had been mating and had cubs with her at the time of the attack.
"They had their windows all the way down, which is strictly against policy," Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at Lion Park told the Associated Press. "The lion bit the lady through the window."
Park staff members were able to chase the lion away, while Katherine received treatment from emergency services.
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