Cheetahs which mauled British woman in South Africa had attacked another tourist

“The attacks are not the fault of the cats. They could have been
prevented.

“They are wild animals, which we tend to forget.

“People simply should not be allowed in with these beautiful, wild
creatures.”


Violet D’Mello being attacked by a cheetah at the
KraggaKamma
Game Reserve in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

She added: “In hindsight, I wish I had pushed the matter further at the
time as perhaps it would have prevented this other poor woman from [being
attacked].”

Mrs Bodenheimer told the Times she visited the Kragga Kamma game park with her
husband in June 2009.

She said she had been attacked after she entered the enclosure to stroke the
cheetahs, then fully-grown cubs.

Mrs Bodenheimer said she had been horrified to read last week that the same
thing had happened when Mrs D’Mello visited the same cheetahs on April 28.

The Scottish mother of two was on a month-long dream holiday with her husband
Archie, 64, when they stopped at the Kragga Kamma reserve near the Indian
Ocean city of Port Elizabeth.

Mrs D’Mello told how the couple entered the enclosure with a local family
before one of the cheetahs attacked an eight-year-old girl.

The brother cats then both lunged at her as she tried to protect the girl’s
younger brother, seven, from the beasts.

Mrs D’Mello suffered serious wounds across her head, stomach and legs during
the terrifying three minute attack which finally ended after a member of
staff scared the cheetahs off with a stick.

She was taken to hospital and needed dozens of stitches before she spent three
days in bed recovering from the ordeal.

Mrs Bodenheimer told the Times she read of the incident last week and
immediately emailed the park to express her disappointment that another
attack had been allowed to happen.

She said: “They pointed out that when I was attacked the cheetahs were
cubs.

“I pointed out that although the cheetahs were ‘cubs’ at the time, they
were 18 months old and it was explained to me that they are fully grown at
that point but still have a kitten mentality.”

Kragga Kamma manager Mike Cantor today (mon) admitted the cheetahs had been
involved in previous incidents with guests.

However he said it was to be expected that young cheetahs would act playfully
with humans.

He said: “We are aware of what Mrs Bodenheimer has said and I do remember
the incident a few years ago when she was scratched by the cheetahs.

“They were really young animals then and were particularly playful.

“From the report I received at the time from my staff, it didn’t sound
like a particularly serious or sinister incident.

“There have been the occasional other incident too when people have been
scratched by the cheetahs.

“Mrs Bodenheimer should have made more of it and let us know her concerns.”

Mr Cantor added that the petting facility at the park remained closed and said
he was considering moving Mark and Monty to a bigger enclosure where they
would not be allowed near humans.

He said: “Attack sounds like a horrible thing, but I think the cheetahs
are really just being playful.

“Obviously it is not good if people are getting hurt so we are having to
review our policy.

“The petting facility is closed at the moment while we decide what to do.

“It might be that we decide it’s not worth the hassle of keeping it open.

“We have another big enclosure free so we may move the lads into there
and let them have some space.”

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