Longleat lioness mauled to death by another lion
Guests to the safari park saw the incident happen
A lioness at Wiltshire's Longleat Safari Park has been killed by another lion, in front of guests.
Bosses of the popular attraction say the incident, happened on New Year's Day (Sunday 1st January).
They've said the lioness 'died almost instantly', describing it as a 'very rare' occurrence.
But they've stressed it 'can naturally occur amongst apex predators'.
In a statement, Longleat have told us more, and that no guests were at risk:
"This weekend (1st January 2023) saw one of the lionesses at Longleat sadly killed by another lion. This kind of incident is very rare but can naturally occur amongst apex predators.
"It happened incredibly quickly, with the lioness dying almost instantly. Our professional keepers were immediately on the scene, however the timescales involved meant there was no possibility of intervention. There was no risk to guests."
Just last week, the safari park had posted on their social media about how the lions were being treated over Christmas:
The park has remained open to visitors following the incident.