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South African conservationist West Mathewson mauled to death by his own white lions in front of his wife

A conservationist has died after he was mauled by two of his own lions as he took them for a morning walk.

West Mathewson, 69, ran the popular Lion Treetop safari lodge in Limpopo province, South Africa, along with his wife.

She reportedly witnessed the sudden attack, which took place at around 8.30am local time on Wednesday.

Local police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo told reporters: “It is believed that the two lionesses attacked the deceased during one of their usual walks.

“The incident allegedly took place while his wife was helplessly watching.”

A well-known South African conservationist has died after he was mauled by two white lions as he was taking them for a walk.

The wife of West Mathewson, who followed in a car, tried to distract the lions but it was too late.

He ran a popular safari lodge, Lion Tree Top Lodge. 

A conservationist has died after he was mauled by two of his own lions as he took them for a morning walk.

West Mathewson, 69, ran the popular Lion Treetop safari lodge in Limpopo province, South Africa, along with his wife.

She reportedly witnessed the sudden attack, which took place at around 8.30am local time on Wednesday.

Local police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo told reporters: “It is believed that the two lionesses attacked the deceased during one of their usual walks.

“The incident allegedly took place while his wife was helplessly watching.”

A well-known South African conservationist has died after he was mauled by two white lions as he was taking them for a walk.

The wife of West Mathewson, who followed in a car, tried to distract the lions but it was too late.

He ran a popular safari lodge, Lion Tree Top Lodge. 

— Muthuri Kinyamu (@MuthuriKinyamu)
August 27, 2020
Emergency services rushed to save Mr Mathewson but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The lionesses have since been moved to another game lodge and are expected to be released into the wild later, South African news site News24 reported.

Relatives of Mr Mathewson, known affectionately as “Uncle West”, said the attack could have been the result of very rough play, according to the BBC.

“I think it was just a tragic accident that happened," his daughter-in-law Tehri Mathewson told News24.

“The lions are safe and will forever be loved and cared for as he would have wanted.”

Mr Mathewson rescued the lions from "canned hunting" – where animals are bred to be hunted – and they were kept in an enclosure at his lodge, the BBC reported.

His daughter-in-law described him as a “remarkable man” whose death would be a great loss to conservation.

The lionesses reportedly attacked a man collecting wood on a neighbouring property after they broke out of the enclosure in 2017.

The man suffered multiple wounds and died a week later, although the local health department attributed his cause of death to "other diseases".

Reference: Evening Standard: Harriet Brewis 11 hrs ago: 27th August 2020 

Congo poacher who killed more than 500 elephants jailed for 30 years in landmark ruling

Notorious poacher believed to have killed more than 500 elephants has been jailed for 30 years in the Republic of Congo.

Mobanza Mobembo Gerard, known as Guyvanho, was found guilty of ivory trafficking and the attempted murder of park rangers.

Since 2008, he had led poaching expeditions that sparked the deaths of hundreds of animals, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The group hailed the case as a milestone in the fight to hold wildlife criminals to account.

Gerard’s trial and sentencing last week marked the first criminal conviction of a wildlife trafficker in the central African country.

Previously, environmental crimes were tried in civil courts and incurred a maximum sentence of five years, the WCS said.

The sentence “sends an extremely strong message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted at the highest levels,” the society’s regional director Emma Stokes said in a statement on Monday.

Poachers taking advantage of crisis threaten a wildlife catastrophe

Congolese judicial authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.

The attempted murder charges against Gerard were connected to a 2019 incident when his poacher group allegedly fired at and wounded members of a ranger patrol in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park.

The park covers 4,000 square kilometres (1,540 sq miles) in the north of the Congo Republic.

Its dense lowland rainforest has been a refuge for the region’s rare forest elephants, which were only confirmed to be a separate species from the larger African savannah elephant in 2010.

Reference: Evening Standard: Harriet Brewis 1 day ago: 27th August 2020

Shark found without skin or teeth in Sardinia 'fell victim to contaminated waters and climate change'

A skinless and toothless shark found in waters off the coast of Sardinia is thought to have fallen victim to contaminated seas and climate change.

Commercial fishers are behind the newly-confirmed major marine discovery after pulling the blackmouth catshark from a depth of 1,640 feet below the surface in July 2019.

They later handed it over to a team of researchers at the University of Cagliari, in Italy, who said the animal is the first of its kind to be recorded.

"As far as is known, in this paper the first case of lacking of skin-related structures (epidermis, stratum laxum, dermal denticles and teeth) in a free-swimming elasmobranch, the blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus, is reported," reads the researchers' study, which was published last month in the Journal of Fish Biology.

Despite the shark's deformities, its predatory abilities appeared to have remained unhindered, with the creature seemingly finding novel ways to adapt.

The research team found 14 creatures inside the animal's stomach, with the remains suggesting its prey had been swallowed whole.

The study says the shark may have lost its skin and teeth after being exposed to chemically contaminated sites, or as a result of acidification due to climate change.

The shark was a pale yellowish colour all over, except for its eyes, abdomen and gills, which were the only places on its body found to have pigment.

Its teeth had also been reduced to rudimental structures that were not visible to the naked eye.

"It is unclear how the abnormality impact the behaviour, physiology or ecology of this individual," the researchers' study said.

"Given the functions performed by the skin, the lack of dermal denticles, epidermis and stratum laxum is likely to have modified swimming, maybe increasing its energetic cost and slowing it down."

Reference: Evening Standard: David Child 10 hrs ago: 27th August 2020

Tower of London ravens leaving historic attraction to find food as tourist numbers fall

Ravens at the Tower of London are leaving the historical site to search for food due to a lack of visitors during coronavirus lockdown.

According to folklore if six permanently leave the capital’s tourist attraction the kingdom, the crown and the building itself will fall.

A raven master, who is in charge of looking after the flock at the site, said two birds have already been venturing away to forage.

Christopher Skaife urged the nation to visit to ensure the birds do not leave forever.

The Tower of London reopened five weeks ago from lockdown and instead of its usual summer visiting figures, in excess of 15,000, it has seen around 800 guests a day.

Mr Skaife told The Sun that he has been asking the beefeaters who guard the site to feed them leftovers. “The ravens have always been so important to the tower because they’ve been surrounded by myths and legends.

"We really need people to come back to help the ravens.”

He added: “It’s been tough because the ravens only saw me or one warden walking by during the lockdown. They depend on tourists.”

King Charles II ordered ravens be kept at the tower, according to legend, after he was warned that if they ever left “the kingdom will fall”.

However some historians have disputed this and said the tale was made up to entertain.

Mr Skaife bought teddies, footballs and squeaky dog toys in a bid to entertain the current group of ravens who are called Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina.

He said they were “bored and lonely” as they couldn’t engage with the public or rummage through rubbish bins.

“Never in a raven’s history have we seen fewer people in the Tower of London,” he told The Sun

"Even in World War Two, there were still hundreds in and around.”

Reference: Evening Standard: Ellena Cruse: 20/08/2020