A tour guide tragically lost his life while taking a group on a tour of a park that had seen tragedy just months earlier – Hwange National Park is home to large elephant herds, lions and more
Quinn Swales died trying to save his group of tourists
A horrifying accident took the life of a safari guide leading a photographic walking tour in Zimbabwe. The 40-year-old managed to save the tourists’ lives when the accident happened in 2015, but later died as a result of his injuries.
Hwange National Park is home to large elephant herds, lions and other animals native to the African continent, and Quinn Swales had toured the park “numerous times in his career,” according to a Facebook statement posted by the company that runs camps in the reserve.
The post explained the group of seven was walking along the edge of an open area when they spotted a pride of lions. One of the adult males stood up from where he had been sitting and began moving towards the group. When faced with the lion, Quinn acted calmly, as it wasn’t the first time he had faced such a situation.
Quinn Swales was leading a photographic walking tour with six tourists
He briefed guests on what to expect from the animal’s behaviour and instructed them to get behind him and not move.
Quinn and the group set off a “bear banger”, an instrument described by the camp as making a loud noise, and the lion retreated. Soon after, though, it returned to attack Quinn.
The statement says he did everything he could have done: “Quinn bore the full brunt of the charge and, unable to fire his rifle due to the speed of the attack, literally stopped the lion attacking his group by placing himself directly in harm’s way.”
After suffering bites to his shoulder and neck, Quinn sadly passed away at the scene. The horrified shouts and noises from the guests finally drove the lion away, allowing the tourists to call for help and try to give aid to the guide.
But Hwange National Park wasn’t a stranger to tragedy, even before this accident. The spot was home to Cecil the lion, who, earlier that same year, was killed in a suspected illegal hunt.
Cecil the lion was known to tourists and researchers for his size and surprising comfort around humans and vehicles(Image: Channel 4)
The 13-year-old lion – a tourist favourite at the park – was being monitored as part of a study led by Oxford University researchers, and was hunted down with an arrow and, 10 hours later, killed with a gun by Walter Palmer, an American trophy hunter.
The killing sparked immediate massive global outrage and led to protests and criminal prosecution, although Palmer was later cleared of all charges.
Despite both incidents, Camp Hwange is generally considered safe, provided you strictly adhere to park rules.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority emphasises that visitors must remain in their vehicles, obey driving curfews, maintain a safe distance from animals, and refrain from feeding wildlife.
