HARARE, Zimbabwe — A lion charged and killed a safari guide who was leading a group of tourists in the same national park in Zimbabwe that was the home of Cecil the lion who was controversially killed by an American bow hunter in July.

Quinn Swales was leading a walking safari in Hwange National Park when he spotted six lions on Monday, police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said. “One of the lions had cubs and they became hostile. Mr. Swales at first managed to scare the lions away but then the male lion later made a U-turn and attacked him,” Charamba told The Associated Press. None of the tourists was harmed, she said.

Swales was taking six tourists on a walking safari when he spotted fresh lion spoor and decided to track a pride consisting of two females, two cubs and two males, according to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The lion, named Nxaha, had a collar that allowed researchers to track his movements.

The killing of Cecil in July by dentist James Walter Palmer just outside Hwange park sparked outrage in the United States. Cecil was also collared for an Oxford University study.

Walking safaris in which tourists hike through African reserves teeming with dangerous big game are “highly popular and attacks by animals extremely infrequent,” said Trevor Lane, an official of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe.


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