American woman killed by lion identified as 29 year old film editor
The American tourist who was mauled to death by a lion on a South African safari has been identified as a 29-year-old film editor who worked on an Emmy winning episode of Game of Thrones – as the tour guide who tried to save her life relived the moment he suffered a heart attack during the horrifying incident.
Katherine Chappell, who was in Africa raising money for a charitable organization that protects animals from poachers, was killed by the lioness as she took pictures during a drive through the popular Lion Park, near Johannesburg, on Monday afternoon.
Her identity emerged as tour guide Pierre Potgieter, 66, told Daily Mail Online how he had suffered a heart attack as he tried to save Miss Chappell's life.
Speaking to Daily Mail Online from his hospital bed, Mr Potgieter denied he had flouted rules at the safari park and put his client’s life in danger by driving with the windows open.
'That’s not right… not right at all,' the 66-year-old said in a phone call, 'if that’s what they're saying, that’s not the case. Not at all.'
Asked to describe the attack which killed his client, he replied, ‘It wasn’t good, dreadful. I’m still in a shock and daze about it.’
Corlien Potgieter, the guide’s wife, told Daily Mail Online the American’s death, ‘was the worst experience of his life’.
Speaking from her her home in Melville, the same suburb of Johannesburg where the dead woman was staying at a guest house, Mrs Potgieter said: ’It’s a terrible thing that has happened, truly unbelievable.
'Here we are in the city of Johannesburg and a lion kills someone - it is beyond belief. It is so very sad, our hearts go out to this woman.
'The cardiologist said my husband must have had a heart attack as he was fending off the lion, or just after. His wounds are clean and there doesn’t seem to be any problem with them, it is just his heart we are now concerned about.'
Mrs Potgieter has also spoken out to rubbish claims that both the front windows of the vehicle were open at the time of the attack.
In a statement released by her, on behalf of their business Kalabash Tours, said Miss Chappell had opened the window ‘of her own accord’, and at the last moment.
The statement also sheds more light on the tragic incident.
It reveals how, at about 2.30pm, Miss Chappell was taking pictures when the lioness attacked her through her open window - which was down despite advice to the contrary.
A statement released by Mrs Potgieter read: 'The tourist had a camera and, of her own accord, rolled down the passenger window in order to take photographs. A lion then attacked the tourist through the open window.
'Mr Potgieter tried to fend the lioness off and in the process sustained injuries to his arm. When the lion retreated, Mr Potgieter saw that the tourist had sustained extremely serious injuries.
SISTER'S FACEBOOK TRIBUTE TO KATHERINE CHAPPELL
We are broken-hearted to share this news with our friends and family: Yesterday morning, while on a volunteer mission to protect wildlife in South Africa, Kate Chappell was involved in a tragic and fatal accident.
Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman. Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans. She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.
We cannot thank everyone enough for the kind words and support. It means the world to us during this difficult time.
- Jennifer Chappell
'She was bleeding profusely from her neck. Under the circumstances Mr Potgieter tried his best to stop the bleeding and save her life.
'He applied constant pressure to stop the bleeding, while calling for help.'
The statement also accused Lion Park staff of not doing enough to try to save the stricken tourist who was bleeding heavily from the neck.
However, Mr Simpson said park staff rushed to pull the lioness off the young woman and carried out CPR. Paramedics were called but could do nothing to save her.
'When the paramedics were treating the lady she unfortunately passed away,' he said.
However, Mr Potgieter and Kalabash Tours have given a slightly different account, describing the first employee on the scene as 'reluctant' to help him apply pressure to Miss Chappell's neck wound, leaving the tour guide to continue to battle to save her life.
The tour company's statement said the ambulance only 'arrived some time thereafter'.
'For Mr Potgieter this felt like a very long time,' it added.
The Lion Park said it was unable to comment on how the situation was handled until after it had conducted an investigation.
Daily Mail Online can now reveal that Katherine Chappell traveled to South Africa a week ago via London from Vancouver, Canada, where she had been living and working as a visual effects editor since 2013.
After working as an assistant for several production outfits around New York, in November 2013 Chappell was hired as a video effects editor at Scanline - an award-winning production company with offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Germany.
During her tenure at Scanline, Chappell helped create graphic effects for HBO's hit series Game of Thrones and feature films Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Divergence.
She also worked on the Secret Life of Walter Mitty starring Ben Stiller and Noah, starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe.
Chappell also was part of the team that won a Primetime Emmy for the 2014 Game of Thrones episode The Children.
On the eve of the deadly lion attack, Chappell shared a photo of a receipt from a Johannesburg hotspot called Six Cocktail Bar. Under 'customer name' the bar staff typed 'American.'
'Also notice how cheap the drinks are...currency is in rand,' Chappell boasted to her friends in what has turned out to be her final Instagram post.
The US State Department confirmed the American tourist's death in Lion Park, Johannesburg, on June 1 in a statement released to Daily Mail Online Tuesday evening.
'We are providing all possible consular assistance,' Julia Straker, a State Department spokesperson, stated. 'We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim of this terrible tragedy.'
According to public records, Katherine Chappell was born in December 1985. Earlier reports erroneously claimed that she was 22 years old at the time of her death.
Her parents, Jonathan and Mary Elaine Chappell, two sisters and a brother all reside in Westchester County, New York. The family also have ties to Chicago.
On Tuesday evening, Katherine's younger sibling, Jennifer Chappell, paid tribute to the 29-year-old woman in a touching Facebook post, confirming that the tragic accident that claimed her life took place while her sister was on a mission to protect wildlife in South Africa.
'Katie was a brilliant, kind, adventurous and high-spirited woman. Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans,' Jennifer wrote. 'She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.'
In March, Miss Chappell launched a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise $1,300 for the group Wildlife ACT, which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of animals in South Africa.
'I will be assisting rangers in tracking and monitoring animals, setting up camera traps, participating in poaching prevention techniques, providing support and assistance to veternarians [sic], and be involved in game capture and relocation,' Miss Chappell wrote in the description of her fundraiser.
According to her online resume, Miss Chappell, known to her friends as Kate, graduated from Hofstra University in Long Island in 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in film studies and production, and Japanese language.
During the fall 2007 semester, she was named to the Dean’s List for earning a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
Not long before setting off for South Africa from her new home in Canada, Miss Chappell shared a snapshot of her blue backpack, which was accompanied by the hashtag 'officiallyonholiday.'
Six days before the tragedy, Chappell posted another picture showing the her sipping a mojito out of a mason jar on a sunny day in Johannesburg.
'My likey joburg,’ she jokingly wrote, adding the hashtags 'holiday' and 'southafrica.'
On Tuesday it was revealed the traveler took pictures through a wide-open car window of the cat who killed her just seconds before the animal pounced.
Police were examining the last haunting photographs taken by Ms Chappell as evidence that she had ignored warnings to keep her windows closed as she toured the South African safari park.
Traumatized tourists who watched as the nine-year-old lioness killed Chappell through an open window have also handed over pictures of the fatal attack.
ABC News also reported that the nine-year-old lioness responsible for the attack had been mating and had several cubs with her at the time of the incident, which could explain her aggressive demeanor towards intruders.
Two families were driving only feet away from the car carrying the victim when she was attacked.
They told police that Chappell was photographing the cat as it approached her vehicle.
Six adult witnesses, including two visitors from India, gave their own photographs of the attack and statements to police confirming that both front windows of the victim’s car were wide-open throughout her visit to the 20-acre enclosure, where she was attacked.
This has been denied by Mr Potgieter, who has said only Miss Chappell's window was rolled down at the time of the attack.
Scott Simpson, operations manager at the Lion Park told Daily Mail Online: 'The dead lady’s camera was taken by police as evidence, as she was photographing the lioness through an open window up until the moment the lion attacked the vehicle.
'According to eye witnesses, the lion was walking near the vehicle and the visitor was taking pictures through an open window.
'Witnesses say that both front windows were down the whole time they were in the enclosure. The other lions in the area watched from a distance throughout.'
Lion Park officials released a statement on its Facebook page Tuesday announcing that the lioness who claimed Katherine Chappell's life will not be put down. She has been identified and was being kept in a separate enclosure.
'We would like to assure everyone that we will not euthanize the lioness. The lioness will remain under our care,' the message read.
However, Miss Chappell's death is likely to put the popular tourist attraction under scrutiny, as it is the third big cat attack in just four months.
In March, an Australian tourist was injured by a lioness after going on safari with his car windows open.
Brendan Smith, from Perth, was left with deep flesh wounds after the big cat pounced through the window and bit his leg.
Smith posted pictures of his injuries on Facebook which happened after he'd only been in South Africa for 36 hours.
Two days later, a 13-year-old from a nearby slum was attacked by a cheetah while riding a bicycle through the grounds.
In December 2013, a former South African franchise rugby player Brett Tucker and his family were attacked by a lion at the same park. Tucker's father reportedly suffered minor injuries.
The park, which has been visited by celebrities including R&B singer John Legend and pop star Shakira in the past, has more than 85 lions, including rare white lions, and a variety of other animals, including giraffes and ostriches.
According to its website, Lion Park guarantees 'super close-up animal views' but it does order visitors to keep their car windows shut.
The park has previously come under fire for allowing visitors to pet lion cubs. It was also accused of breeding lions for 'canned hunting', a charge that the park has refuted.
The park offers tented accommodation and also hosts children's birthday parties.
A visitor to the Lion Park last year uploaded a video to YouTube of a lion opening a car door.
Mr Simpson said visitors to the park were warned not to leave their windows open to avoid attacks.
He told ENCA: 'We make it so clear. We put signage up everywhere that people must keep their windows closed.
'We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park, I really don't understand why people think its okay to leave windows open.
He added that the park takes safety seriously.
'We have signage up everywhere informing people to keep their windows closed. We hand out flyers as they are driving in reminding them to keep their windows closed. We really do everything we can to make sure that people know that,' he added.
The park boasts 'guaranteed super-close up views' of the animals on its website.
Awesome sighting though 
