'Tame' cheetahs attack woman
Two apparently tame cheetahs have attacked a woman on her 60th birthday trip to South Africa.
Violet D’Mello and her husband Archie travelled from Scotland to South Africa to celebrate Violet's birthday at a Port Elizabeth game park where they were able to get up close and personal with two cheetahs.
One of the cheetahs grabbed hold of a young girl's leg and Violet stepped in to stop the attack – before the cheetahs turned on her.
As the girl ran to safety, the cheetahs dragged violet to the ground, opening up a wound on the back of her head.
Incredibly, Archie continued to take photos of the three minute attack in which the cheetahs mauled his wife's head, legs and stomach.
Speaking to AP, Archie said the attack seemed to come out of nowhere.
"They seemed to be pretty docile. They said they were hand reared from cubs and were extremely tame and one could you know stroke them and not only that lay on them and they'll do nothing to you," he said.
Violet says her instincts took over once the attack started.
"Something inside me just said, 'Don't move. Don’t move at all. Don't react, just play dead", she told a local South African newspaper.
Violet escaped with only minor injuries, including stitches in her legs and head.
The park's owner has closed the facililty while an investigation is held into the attack.
"It’s not something we’ve ever really experienced. It's obviously very unfortunate, and we’re looking into what may have startled or riled up the cheetahs," he said.
Mr and Mrs D’Mello are continuing with their tour of South Africa.
