American woman killed by a lion in South Africa Park

An American woman was killed by a lion at a private park yesterday afternoon in Johannesburg
The lion attacked the 22 years old woman who was sitting on the passenger side of a vehicle with the window down in violation of park regulations, said Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at the Lion Park.

 "We don't know exactly what happened, we do know that there was a car driving to the lion camp and the lion did come through the window and it did bite the lady.  We can confirm she was American and the consulate has been informed," Simpson said.

Earlier, the U.S. Embassy said it had received reports of an "incident involving a U.S. citizen" at the Lion Park and was ready to offer "any assistance possible."

It's believed she had been trying to take pictures with the windows open when the lion attacked. The Lion Park is a popular destination for tourists who can drive in their own vehicles through large enclosures where lions roam freely. Visitors can also pet lion cubs in smaller pens.

It is believed that the lion jumped through the window, bit the woman, and a man was injured trying to pull the lion off her, although the park are still trying to piece together the exact sequence of events. Unfortunately the ambulance arrived quite soon but the lady has passed away.

They have now identified the lioness responsible for the attack and confirmed that they've put her in a separate enclosure but say there are no plans as yet to destroy the animal.

The Park's manager said they don't have any intention to put the Lioness down because they have huge signs in the park warning tourists to keep their windows closed but will review its safety measures.