I saw the patient today and he was doing well. He asked me to relay a thanks to all and said that he was grateful for all the support from family, friends and colleagues extended to him.
He may still remain in hospital for a few days for observation but this is dependent on the doctor's decision.
Sawubona wrote:It seems to me there is a article in the Laevelder aswell. I can't put a link, someone please???
Meandering Mouse wrote:I experienced meeting Lions on one of the walks. The rangers were cautious, but the minute they saw there were cubs, there was a very firm change of attitude and we retreated. This is the general policy.
While I was at Punda recently, I bumped into one of the rangers again and he told me that he had experienced a charging Lion, also with cubs. It had been lying in the bushes.
The rangers had noted the rest of the pride and were moving to a safer position. They had not seen this Lioness. The Lioness charged and he really thought that his days were over. It was only after the charge that he realised that he had released the safety catch of his rifle and was ready to shoot.
Like Rudi, he was concerned about the Lioness and her cubs, but also resposible for his safety and the safety of those with him. His training and finely honed instinct meant that he kept a potentialy deadly situation under control.
I have been on a number of walks and I am always impressed at the skills of those in charge. The only problems we have really encountered have been from fellow walkers who have sometimes been too "gung ho" about the bush. I admire the men and women who give such a dedicated service. It is certainly not the money that attracts them.
wildtuinman wrote:I can't find any substantial evidence at this point in time to proof that the lioness was put down. Thus the article from the sun can only be seen as pure speculation for now.
The lioness did not go out to warn Rudi. That was a full blown attack on him and the only 2 reasons why she hadn't killed him was because she did not want him for food and/or because the raucous of the other people in the party might have driven her off.
My experience is limited to two lion charges and a full-blown leopard attack. I don't carry a firearm, but in my opinion the answer would have been yes, no and no respectively. What saved me from the leopard was a game fence, which she hit so hard that she fell to the ground dazed and with a bloody nose. That did not prevent her from having a second go at me, though. The first time she covered 20 meters of open ground in the blink of an eye, hitting the fence inches from my nose (I was down on my haunches trying to get a view of her). I learned a lot on that occasion! She was a genuine wild leopard, by the way, not some canned breeding farm product.ndloti wrote:Can anyone who has experienced a lion charge give their opinion ?
Hine wrote:EIt is also time we stopped blaming an illness or the more famous one an absus on a tooth or leg that has led to the wild behaviour.
. Met Rudi on a trail this year and 1 thing I can say is that he is proffessional. During our fireside talks he totally changed my perception on the park and the difficult descisions the management have to make on a daily basis. Our discussion was about the water and manmade dams, but this was enough info to make me realise they wont just shoot the lioness without very carefull [b]consideration. We can trust these people to always make choices that will enhance concervation, not our opinions. They are not there for us but the hole ecosystem they have to conserve. Rudi and the other ranger impressed me so much that I enrolled for a field guide and nature enthusiast course. These guys are of awesome stock. 
ndloti wrote:I was at a social gathering of current and ex - KNP trails rangers last month where a list was circulated in order to update a register kept of animals shot on trail .
I will contact the responsible person to confirm this , but if I recall correctly this was only the second lion shot on widerness trails in 30 years , I believe remarkably few considering the ferocity of a nursing lioness !
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