Brink's lions didn't kill him

2007-04-23 22:46

Alet van Zyl and Leané du Plessis

Krugersdorp - A stroke claimed the life of 58-year-old Dirk Brink, not the jaws of his pride of lions.

This came to light on Monday during the post-mortem on Brink, who owned the Krugersdorp game park.

It showed that he was attacked by the pride at Ngonyama Lion Lodge only after his death from a stroke.

Brink's body was found about 12:45 on Friday where it had been dragged by the big cats to dense trees near the feeding area, where his 4x4 vehicle was found.

Louis van der Walt, a family friend who lives in the game park, said on Monday the post-mortem showed that Brink's death was caused by a blood clot in the brain.

Would never have left vehicle

Paramedics, police and game wardens struggled for nearly an hour to get Brink's body away from the lions. Shots were fired eventually to scatter them.

Beeld was told that although Brink's body was badly mauled his head was intact and his brain could be examined without problems.

His family and friends said earlier that Brink would never have got out of the vehicle.

It now appears that he staggered out of the vehicle in the last moments of the stroke, and died outside it.

According to Van der Walt, Brink was definitely dead by the time the lions began to chew on his body.

"There were no blood marks near the vehicle and there was definitely no sign of a struggle, said Van der Walt.

"Everything there indicates that the lions dragged him off under the trees after he had died."

Professor H O de Waal of the University of the Free State, an expert on the feeding patterns of game, said the lions could hardly be blamed for Brink's death.

They would have regarded him as prey if he was out of the vehicle, and they acted instinctively.

"A lion is a wild animal and will kill you if gets the opportunity," he said.

Coert Steynberg an expert from South Africa's game industry, agreed with this and said it would be a travesty to destroy the pride.

"A lion does not distinguish between people and animals, both are food to him. How can you blame something that was merely finishing its lunch?" said Steynberg.

Beeld reported on Monday that the lions possibly would be moved and replaced by another pride.

Never underestimate them

Steynberg pointed out, however, that it would be difficult to move them to another camp, because lions had a rigid social structure and weren't likely to tolerate others trying to get in.

"The dominant male would kill the less-dominant one and his offspring, to ensure the propagation of his own pride's gene pool."

De Waal said the most-important message of the tragic events was never to underestimate the big cats.

- Beeld